Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

The United States leads the world in providing assistanceto refugees and victims of conflict. The U.S. resettles about one-half of the refugees referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for resettlement each year. The Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) has primary responsibility for formulating U.S. policies on these issues and for administering U.S. refugee assistance and admissions programs overseas.

Of the 28,422 refugees admitted to the U.S. in FY 2003, the largest number came from Africa (10,717) and the former Soviet Union (8,744)[1].As in previous years, the President authorized in-country processing in the former Soviet Union, Vietnam and Cuba for persons who would qualify as refugees if they lived outside their country of origin. In addition, the U.S. offered resettlement to refugees outside their countries of origin who were deemed to be of "special humanitarian concern" to the U.S. Highest priority for resettlement was given to refugees referred by UNHCR and by U.S. Embassies. A number of particularly vulnerable groups, including persecuted religious and ethnic minorities, were determined to be of special concern to the U.S. and given priority processing.

Department of Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) administers the immigration and naturalization laws relating to the interview, determination, admission, and naturalization of refugees and asylees. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) within the DHS is responsible for the interview of refugee applicants and the subsequent approval or denial of requests for refugee status. In FY 2003, immigration officers posted at overseas locations and asylum officers on detail conducted refugee determination interviews in 42 different countries.

DHS also inspects and admits approved refugee applicants to the U.S. and processes refugees' applications for adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident. In FY 2003, 28,306 refugees were admitted to the U.S., representing 70 nationalities, with the most refugees arriving from the Ukraine, Liberia, and Iran.

Domestically, officers in eight asylum offices interview and make determinations on the cases of asylum seekers that have reached the United States. In FY 2003, the asylum officers completed 87,516 cases, granting approval in 11,434 cases. The countries with the greatest number of asylum approvals were People's Republic of China, Colombia, Haiti, and Cameroon.

Information about USCIS and the processing of refugee and asylees can be found on the internet website http://uscis.gov.

Office of Global Health Affairs

In FY 2003, the preventive health services expansion that began in 1999 continued with an extensive needs assessment led by the  Office of Global Health Affairs of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As a result, State preventive health programs today provide health education, health promotion, and referral and follow-up services to newly arriving refugees and asylees in addition to traditional health assessments.

Health assessments conducted in the U.S. are voluntary. These health assessments of refugees serve important public and personal health purposes. For example, they help to identify individuals who have been exposed to TB and treat them, assuring that they will not develop infectious TB at some later time. Additionally, assessments identify Hepatitis B and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as other infectious diseases that were not identified before the refugees' arrival to the U.S. OGHA is increasing our interactions with U.S. agencies responsible for overseeing health in refugee camps to promote healthy resettlement in the U.S. OGHA is also working collaboratively with the States to address emerging health concerns, such as Hepatitis A and elevated lead levels. Health assessments include needed immunizations for children and adults.

OGHA has also partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemiology Division to conduct an epidemiological assessment of health conditions amongst recently resettled Sudanese youth. Additionally, many refugees have health conditions, which do not prevent them from entering the U.S., and are not of public health concern, but which affect their ability to become self-sufficient once resettled. ORR-funded health assessments identify these personal needs and assure that refugees are appropriately cared for and treated.

Health assessments provided to asylees are the only public health screening these individuals receive until they adjust status to permanent residents. Adjustment of status occurs at least one year after they are granted asylum.

Thirty-seven States in FY 2003 applied for and received ORR Preventive Health Grants. Nearly 47,902 refugees, asylees, Cuban parolees, and Haitian entrants received health assessments in FY 2003.

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