FAQ

What is a refugee?

A refugee is a person “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country” as defined under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

The concept of a refugee was expanded by the Convention’s 1967 Protocol and by regional conventions in Africa and Latin America to include persons who had fled war or other violence in their home country. A person who is seeking to be recognized as a refugee is an asylum seeker or asylee.

Refugee was defined as a legal group in response to the large numbers of people fleeing Eastern Europe following World War II. The lead international agency coordinating refugee protection is the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) which counted 13 million refugees worldwide at the beginning of 2006. This was the lowest number since 1980. Unfortunately, there are still 8.7 million refugees in the world under direct protection of UNHCR.

Why does the United States Have a Refugee Program?

Every year millions of people around the world are displaced by war, and civil and political unrest. Throughout its history, the United States has maintained a rich and vibrant tradition of offering refuge to those who have suffered or who fear persecution.

United States is one of 23 countries that have refugee programs and that resettle refugees. In addition, there are 43 countries in the world that temporary host refugees (see the website of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees always tries to repatriate refugees displaced by wars to their native countries. If this solution is not feasible then UNHCR is trying to find a permanent solution in the first country of asylum. If the first country of asylum is not willing or not able to find a permanent solution for the refugee then the UNHCR refers the person to those countries who have refugee resettlement programs.

How many refugees does the United States admit?

The United States accepts a limited number of refugees each year. This number is determined by the President in consultation with Congress. However the projected arrivals often differ from the actual arrivals. For example, 60,000 refugees were supposed to be admitted in the US in fiscal year 2006. However, 41,500 refugees arrived in the United States in fiscal year 2006.

What is the difference between an internally displaced person and a refugee?

Despite the fact that there is up to 25 million internally displaced persons around the world their plight is still little known. Internally displaced persons are persons who have left their habitual residence in order to avoid humanitarian law violations or because of well-founded fear of persecution but without having crossed international border. So, internally displaced persons would be refugees had they left their country.

Is a refugee different from an immigrant?

There are many categories of legal immigrants. A refugee is a subcategory of immigrants. A refugee, however, is NOT an immigrant who may cross the border to improve his economic situation. The refugee is approved to come to the U.S. because if they returned to their homeland, they would be persecuted or killed.

Who may apply to be resettled in the United States as a refugee?

Eligibility for consideration is governed by a system of processing priorities. Refugees may be eligible for an interview for resettlement in the United States if:
UNHCR or the U.S. embassy refers them to the United States for resettlement, or
They are members of specified groups with special characteristics in certain countries as determined periodically by the United States government. (For some groups, only those with relatives in the United States are eligible.)

To qualify as a refugee, person must be able to prove that he/she meets the Immigration and Nationality Act's definition of refugee. A person is not eligible for refugee status in the United States if he/she have ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

He or she is not eligible for refugee status in the United States if he/she has been firmly resettled in another country. A person will be considered firmly resettled if he/she has been offered resident status, citizenship, or some other type of permanent residence in a country other than the United States and the homeland from which he or she is fleeing. Other instances which may be considered firm resettlement are if he/she holds dual citizenship with a third country or if he/she is entitled to automatic citizenship in a third country and he/she has no fear of persecution in that third country.

A person is generally not eligible to apply for refugee status if he/she is an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen or a special immigrant. Instead, he/she should apply for an immigrant visa. An immediate relative is a parent, spouse, or unmarried child under the age of 21. It is important to keep in mind that eligibility for refugee status is not a guarantee to resettlement in the United States. A person who is determined to be a refugee must also be otherwise admissible to the United States under INA § 212(a) or be granted a waiver of inadmissibility.

Why do refugees come to our community?

The Department of State is the entity that indirectly decides which state and city the refugees will be resettling by assigning refugees to one of seven voluntary agencies and also by designing the policies of the US Refugee Program. The national offices of voluntary agencies then look for the affiliates and resettlement sites that meet the requirements of the Department of State. The goal of the refugee program is early self-sufficiency therefore just those resettlement agencies that meet the employment outcomes are eligible to resettle refugees. A recent study of the Urban Institute from Washington on Louisville’ International Population states that, “Louisville’s success in resettling refugees, especially with regard to employment, may provide lessons for the broader integration of immigrants and limited English speakers.” If you would like to see the study please click here

Do refugees take jobs away from Americans?

For the most part, refugees take entry level jobs. Those refugees who are highly skilled and educated work hard for years to learn English and obtain U.S. transcripts of their credentials. The Urban Institute’s study states that, “Immigrants are already a critical component of the region’s lower-skilled labor force. The number of native-born workers without a high school degree shrank by almost 20 percent during the 1990s. As the number of less-educated native-born workers falls even further, immigrants will increasingly meet the demand for low-skilled labor in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, retail trade, accommodation and food service.”