How federal policy can make it hard for refugees to succeed : The Indicator from Planet Money When refugees arrive in the U.S. the clock starts ticking. They usually have up to 90 days to get a job and become 'self-sufficient'.

Researcher Blair Sackett says that that's simply not enough time for refugees to acclimate to a totally new country and culture and find work. She argues that current policy essentially resettles refugees into poverty.

Today on the show we explore that 90-day policy and potential solutions to help refugees find their financial footing.

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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'Welcome to the USA! Now get to work.'

'Welcome to the USA! Now get to work.'

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Syrian refugees take notes during their Vocational ESL class at the International Rescue Committee center in San Diego on August 31, 2016. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Syrian refugees take notes during their Vocational ESL class at the International Rescue Committee center in San Diego on August 31, 2016.

Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

When refugees arrive in the U.S. the clock starts ticking. They usually have up to 90 days to get a job and become 'self-sufficient'.

Blair Sackett, co-author of We Thought It Would Be Heaven: Refugees In An Unequal America, says that that's simply not enough time for refugees to acclimate to a totally new country and culture and find work. She argues that current policy essentially resettles refugees into poverty.

Today on the show we explore that 90-day policy and potential solutions to help refugees find their financial footing.

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Music by
Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.