This study aimed to analyze how refugees and asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo who are inserted in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro access public policies. To reach such ends, this study used qualitative research, whose instruments chosen for the production of data were semi-structured interviews and observations and reflections contained in the field diary that are based on professional practice as a social worker. in a civil society institution that serves the refugee population in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to the bibliographical analysis and the study of Brazilian regulations for refugee protection. Nine interviews were carried out with Congolese refugees and asylum seekers, one woman and eight men, inserted in different spaces that make up the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro. The interviews were carried out between January and April 2021 and were all recorded with the consent of the interviewees. To analyze the data obtained in the empirical research, the technique of qualitative content analysis was established as an operationalization method. The survey results show that the Congolese community s access to health, social assistance, employment/work and housing policies does not happen in a broad way, as the access of refugees and asylum seekers to the policies is intrinsically related to the effective assistance provided by civil society organizations that serve the refugee population in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore, the sociocultural dimensions, as well as the strategies they build, are determining elements in the way Congolese refugees access Brazilian public policies, especially in a pandemic context.