Frequently Asked Questions About Refugees

Also see our Immigration FAQ

• What is the difference between an immigrant and a refugee?
• How many uprooted people are there throughout the world?
• Where do most refugees come from?
• What countries and territories host most of the world's refugees?
• What is the accepted protocol used by the international community to address the plight of refugees?
• How many refugees does the U.S. accept for resettlement each year?
• How is the U.S. refugee admissions ceiling established?
• Who determines refugees status for the purpose of admission to the United States?
• What role does the private sector play in refugee resettlement?
• Are there other groups of uprooted people?

Q: What is the difference between an immigrant and a refugee?

A: Immigrant: A foreign-born individual who voluntarily leaves his/her country of origin and has been admitted to reside permanently in the U.S. as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR).

Refugee (Legal Definition): According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in 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."

Refugee (Popular Definition): A person in flight from a desperate situation.

The key difference then, is that an immigrant chooses to leave his/her country of origin. A refugee, on the other hand, is compelled to seek asylum in another country.

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Q: How many uprooted people are there throughout the world?

A: According to recent estimates from the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, there are 13.9 million refugees and asylum seekers throughout the world, and 21 million internally displaced persons in need of protection and assistance. In 2006, an estimated 3.2 million people became newly uprooted from their homes and/or countries.

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Q: Where do most refugees come from?*

Note:All statistics from World Refugee Survey 2007
* Numbers are for refugees and asylum seekers as of December 31, 2006, and do not include persons granted permanent status in other countries.

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Q: What countries and territories host most of the world's refugees?

Note: All statistics from World Refugee Survey 2007

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Q: What is the accepted protocol used by the international community to address the plight of refugees?

A: There are three “durable solutions” pursued. For most, returning home when conditions permit (i.e., voluntary repatriation) is the preferred solution, and in recent years large numbers have indeed repatriated. If this isn't possible, then resettlement in a country of first asylum is the next best option. When no other option is available, resettlement in another country, such as the United States, should be pursued.

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Q: How many refugees does the U.S. accept for resettlement each year?

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Q: How is the U.S. refugee admissions ceiling established?

A: The President establishes the ceilings each year in consultation with Congress and the State Department. Various organizations, including CWS/IRP, in coalition with other private resettlement agencies, are invited to present testimony supporting specific admissions levels and their rationale.

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Q: Who determines refugees status for the purpose of admission to the United States?

A: As of March 1, 2003, the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services makes this determination. Cases can be and are, in fact, presented to BCIS for its consideration.

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Q: What role does the private sector play in refugee resettlement?

A: Historically, the U.S. refugee program has been characterized as an effective model of public-private partnership. CWS/IRP is one of nine voluntary agencies that, through private and government funding, ensures that refugees are properly resettled and adjusted to their new homes and helps them achieve early self-sufficiency by assisting them with enrolling children in school, seeking medical attention, applying for work, receiving language training, obtaining housing and basic necessities, etc. Jointly, these agencies have more than 450 affiliated resettlement offices operating throughout the country and nearly 500 years of collective organizational experience assisting refugees.

Some of the above information was taken from the USCC, Migration & Refugee Services and the Immigration Forum.

Q: Are there other groups of uprooted people?

A: Other groups of uprooted people include internally displaced persons who are forced to flee their homes due to armed conflict, internal strife and systematic violations of human rights, but who do not cross an international border; asylum seekers; stateless persons who are not recognized by any country as citizens, and whose access to national or international legal protection or to basic rights such as health and education is severely restricted as a result; and others in refugee-like situations who do not meet the narrow definition of refugee, or who do not have access to credible refugee determination procedures. Included in this last category are those who are tolerated or ignored by host governments or those regarded as illegal aliens.

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