Refugee & Immigrant Services

The Jewish community understands what it is like to leave one’s home and resettle in a foreign land. That historic experience fuels our desire to help refugees and immigrants make a successful transition to self-sufficiency. Our culturally diverse staff is recruited directly from the communities we serve.

Contact us at ris@jfsseattle.org or by phone.
South King County Office: (253) 850-4065

Get Help

• Resettlement
  Refugees from all over the world are supported and encouraged as they integrate successfully into their new environments. Learn more with our Refugee Resettlement FAQ.
• Language Classes
  English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes are offered at varying levels.
• Intensive Case Management
  We provide comprehensive, long-term case management to refugee and asylees who face additional barriers to stability including single-parent households, members of the LGTBQI community, and those with complex medical and mental health needs.
• Women’s Empowerment Programming
  Recognizing the increased cultural, social and systemic barriers that immigrant women face, RIS’ Women’s Empowerment Programming promotes gender equity through a three-pronged model that provides individualized case management, education workshops and social support through peer networking.

• Employment Services
  We assist with job readiness skills, employment counseling, and job placement and retention support. Comprehensive case management is provided to remove barriers to employment and includes services such as low-income housing applications, assistance with medical appointments and referral services.
• Career Re-entry Services
  We support refugees and asylees who have international professional experience as they work to return to their career field in the United States. Individualized case management and career guidance is coupled with coaching and support from volunteer mentors.
• Workshops
  We provide workshops to support the economic integration of refugees and asylees. Workshop topics include professional career re-entry, financial literacy, preparing for retirement and more.

• Citizenship Services
  We provide assistance with naturalization applications as well as classes to prepare for the citizenship exam.
• Immigration Legal Services
  We provide assistance with legal services including adjustment of status (i.e. green card) and family reunification applications.

• Humanitarian Relief Legal Services
  We provide legal assistance and representation to immigrants who are seeking humanitarian legal relief, including asylum seekers, survivors of sex and/or labor trafficking and unaccompanied youth who may be eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Limited support is also available to other immigrants of humanitarian concern, including survivors of torture or certain types of serious crimes. In addition to legal assistance, JFS also offers case management support to ensure survivors are connected to appropriate services and resources in the community.
• Asylum Support
  We support asylum seekers in the Puget Sound area with holistic case management support, access to basic needs, help navigating the complex immigration legal system, and help connecting to local resources, education, and employment opportunities. Limited financial assistance is also available.
• Unaccompanied Youth
  We provide evidence-based, culturally and linguistically appropriate case management services to children who entered into the United States without the protection of an adult. The goal of this program is to help youth reunite with a guardian in Washington state and successfully integrate into their new community. Case managers also conduct outreach and education to community service providers to supplement existing services that do not adequately address the unique needs of newly arrived immigrant children.
• Survivors of Trafficking
  We offer trauma-informed, comprehensive case management services for foreign-born survivors of sex and labor trafficking. The goal of this program is to help survivors of human trafficking achieve long-term stability and self-sufficiency as well as immigration relief. Services include help with basic needs, medical case management, legal assistance, transportation, school and higher education support, and assistance obtaining correct personal and immigration documents.

• Funders
  JFS serves individuals and families from King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties. Most programs are offered at no charge to participants and are made possible by generous funding from:

  • USCRI
  • CWS