Annual Report on Refugee Resettlement in South Dakota FFY 2021

This report provides an overview of information regarding refugee resettlement in South Dakota from 2017-2021. Refugees are defined as individuals who are unable to return to their home country due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality and membership in a particular social group or political opinion. While all refugees are immigrants, not all immigrants are refugees. Immigrants choose to leave their homes and may come to the U.S. with temporary visas, allowing them to remain for a certain period of time or under certain conditions (such as students or tourists), or they may have permission allowing them to remain indefinitely. Refugees arrive with temporary residency and may apply for legal permanent residency after one year. After five years, legal permanent residents may apply for U.S. citizenship. All refugees arrive eligible for employment. At the request of the state, LSS assumed oversight of refugee resettlement in South Dakota in 2000. The primary goals for all services are self-sufficiency and community integration.