Who We Are

The Refugee Processing Center (RPC) is within the Office of Admissions at the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), the humanitarian bureau of the U.S. Department of State. Based in Rosslyn, Virginia, RPC staff design IT systems, ensure continuous operations, analyze dynamic data, and develop efficient processing methods. RPC consists of case workers, refugee processing business experts, data scientists and engineers, interface engineers, cybersecurity professionals, software developers, business analysts and testers, help desk and system administrators, trainers, and change management and communications specialists. We are here to make a difference..

Our Mission and Work

The Refugee Processing Center’s mission is to develop and strengthen the technology systems, operations infrastructure, and processing approaches to resettle refugees in the United States efficiently, effectively, and securely.

To do so, RPC provides and administers a global case management system (START) to process and monitor refugees seeking resettlement in the United States in a way that provides greater flexibility, efficiency, and accountability to the USRAP. START is utilized from the moment a case is referred to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) until the case – after passing all requirements – arrives in the United States.

In addition, the RPC convenes interagency efforts, provides technical expertise, and implements strategic solutions to increase the worldwide capacity of the USRAP to bring qualified refugees and Special Immigrant Visa applicants (SIVs) to the United States. Additionally, RPC collaborates with all overseas and domestic USRAP partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), overseas Resettlement Support Centers (RSCs), domestic Resettlement Agencies (RAs) and affiliates, and others. In short, the RPC serves as a critical hub of operations for the USRAP.