Resources for Refugees

SUNY

Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs).

There are 10 SUNY EOCs across New York state in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Capital District, Long Island, Manhattan, Queens, Rochester, Syracuse, and Westchester that offer programs for: 

• High School Equivalency preparation
• College preparation
• English for Speakers of Other Languages
• Job training/certification in areas such as:
• Registered Medical Assistant
• Medical Office Administration
• Culinary Arts
• Welding
• Teacher Assistant
• OSHA 10-hour construction training course
• Advanced Technology Training and Information Networking
• Microsoft Office Certification

These programs are free to residents of New York State, including refugees, who provide proof of residency during the previous 12 months.  Moreover, on October 21, 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul declared, “The State University of New York will open its 10 Educational Opportunity Centers across New York State to refugees, waiving the New York State 1-year residency requirement for admission.” 

English for Speakers of Other Languages programs

SUNY Educational Opportunity Centers:

EOC               ESOL In-person       ESOL Hybrid             ESOL Remote

Buffalo                       X                                                                     X

Long Island              X                                                                     X

Manhattan                                                    X         

Queens                                                                                            X

Rochester                 X                      

Syracuse                   X                                                                     X

Westchester                                                X         

SUNY Intensive English Language Programs (IELPs):

• University at Albany 
• Buffalo State College
• University at Buffalo
• Fashion Institute of Technology 
• SUNY Fredonia 
• Fulton-Montgomery Community College
• Nassau Community College
• New Paltz, State University College at 
• SUNY Oswego
• Stony Brook University
• Suffolk County Community College
• Westchester Community College

SUNY Information for Refugees and Displaced Persons  

• Immigration Status Considerations
• SUNY Tuition Policy Considerations
• Financial Aid Considerations
• Academic Preparation and Eligibility Considerations

According to SUNY residency policy certain displaced populations are considered NYS residents for tuition purposes. Essentially, resettled refugees, asylees, individuals with Temporary Protected Status, Afghan nationals paroled into the US though the Operation Allies Welcome program, Ukrainians paroled into the US through the Uniting for Ukraine program and other humanitarian parolees can get in-state tuition after 12 months of documented residency in New York State.  Moreover Part IV. “Qualifying Immigrant Statuses and Non-immigrant Statuses,” section D. “Temporary Protected Status” includes a subsection on Country of Origin Status, which states that SUNY will “extend the resident tuition rate to any undergraduate or graduate student, including a professional student, who currently holds a non-immigrant visa and who is a national of a country that has been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), even if such student has not applied for TPS.”  This is a time limited provision subject to renewal, but it means that prospective students who are nationals of one of the countries currently designated for TPS (Including Afghanistan, Ukraine, Venezuela, Haiti, South Sudan) are considered NYS residents for tuition purposes and can access in-state tuition rates even without living in New York State for one year. Finally, each individual SUNY campus receives applications for New York State Residency for Tuition Billing Purposes and resettled refugees may apply under a “rebuttable presumption” if they have made New York State their permanent residence (and can document it), meaning there are grounds to approve NYS residency before the presumed 12-month requirement for establishing domicile.

LeMoyne College, Syracuse

Healthcare Advancement Resource Center (HARC) assists healthcare professionals from all over the world, who have come to New York and have not been able to practice their profession, in obtaining the appropriate credentials and licenses so that they can return to their healthcare field. All foreign-trained medical graduates (FMGs) who are current New York state residents are eligible for the program.