SECTION 340:60-1-3. Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP)

(a)   The Refugee Act of 1980. The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) RRP uses the international definition of refugee adopted under the Refugee Act of 1980.

(b)   Refugee documentation. An applicant for assistance under the RRP must provide documentation issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Acceptable documentation includes, but is not limited to:

(1)   Form I-94, Departure Record;

(2)   Form I-551, Legal Permanent Resident Card;

(3)   a passport stamped with the classification status;

(4)   a T-Visa; or

(5)   a letter or order from the USCIS or court granting asylum.

(c)   Refugee status. Documentation from USCIS provided by the applicant must show the applicant's status is:

(1)   paroled as a refugee or asylee under Section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA);

(2)   admitted as a refugee under Section 207 of the INA;

(3)   granted asylum under Section 208 of the INA;

(4)   admitted as an Amerasian immigrant from Vietnam under Section 584 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Program Appropriations Act of 1989, as amended;

(5)   admitted for permanent residence, provided the person previously held one of the statuses identified in this Section;

(6)   a Cuban or Haitian entrant;

(7)   an alien and his or her eligible relatives who are victims of a severe form of trafficking pursuant to Section 107(b) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 which was reauthorized and amended by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003;

(8)   an Iraqi admitted in special immigrant status as defined in Section 101(a)(27) of the INA [8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)], and per Section 1059, P.L. 109-163, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, and Section 1244 of P.L. 110-181, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 pursuant to Section 525 of Division G of P.L. 110-161, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008, and Section 1244 of P.L. 110-181, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008; or

(9)   an Afghan admitted in special immigrant status as defined in Section 101(a)(27) of the INA [8 U.S.C. 1101 (a)(27)] and per Section 1059, P.L. 109-163, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, and Section 602, Division F, P.L. 111-08, the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009, pursuant to Section 525 of Division G of P.L. 110-161 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2009.

(d)   Verification of alien status. A declaration of alien status is required at application for all persons applying for RRP.

(1)   Under penalty of perjury, the applicant declares the alien status of all persons applying for RRP benefits on the application form and signs the application. After certification, this declaration is made on Form 08MP022E, Declaration of Citizenship Status, before additional persons are added to the benefit.

(2)   The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement (SAVE) process is used to verify alien status per OAC 340:65-3-4(5).

(e)   Exclusions from RRP. Persons excluded from participation in RRP are:

(1)   resident aliens who did not previously have the status of refugee or asylee; or

(2)   any applicant for asylum who has not been granted asylum status.

[Source: Amended at 10 Ok Reg 103, eff 10-13-92 (emergency); Amended at 10 Ok Reg 2077, eff 5-27-93; Amended at 13 Ok Reg 461, eff 11-14-95 (emergency); Amended at 13 Ok Reg 3007, eff 7-11-96; Amended at 16 Ok Reg 1947, eff 6-11-99; Amended at 23 Ok Reg 1022, eff 6-1-06; Amended at 26 Ok Reg 179, eff 11-1-08 (emergency); Amended at 26 Ok Reg 881, eff 4-25-09; Amended at 27 Ok Reg 26, eff 11-1-09 (emergency); Amended at 27 Ok Reg 1271, eff 5-27-10]