09/06/2007

Currently, there are over four million displaced Iraqis in the Middle East. Over 160,000 Iraqis have registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the vast majority of these have requested resettlement overseas. The United States will only accept 7,000 referrals for fiscal year (FY) 2007, of which 2,000-3,000 may be approved in FY2007.

Every individual refugee has to undergo rigorous security, background, and health checks before they are admitted through the U.S. Refugee Program (USRP). First, UNHCR must determine that the refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution if returned to his country of origin, and that he or she is not excludable for having committed acts against humanity or war crimes. This first step can take several months. If a refugee is selected to move forward in the process, he or she will undergo up to six more interviews and security checks. In addition to checking the facts of a refugee’s individual persecution claim, bio-data is collected during these interviews. UNHCR staff is trained to identify a range of exclusion “triggers,” which lead to a more rigorous examination and possible disqualification from resettlement.

If a refugee is referred to the USRP, a U.S. government-approved and funded resettlement organization interviews the refugee and compiles more extensive personal data and background information, which is forwarded to the U.S. State Department for confirmation that the refugee has not been identified as a security or other concern by the U.S. If no concerns are identified, the U.S. embassy schedules an interview for the refugee with an officer of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) during a “circuit ride.” It is the job of the USCIS officer to identify any bars to admission.

Even if a person is recognized as a refugee under U.S. law, he may be denied admission for a variety of reasons including criminal, national security and health. For instance, a refugee is barred from admission if he or she has participated in or provided any support to a terrorist organization. It is the refugee's burden to demonstrate that he or she is eligible for admission into the U.S.

If there are no bars to admission, a USCIS officer approves the application and forwards it to the U.S. State Department. The refugee is fingerprinted and photographed and both identifiers are checked against multiple databases for any adverse factors. For refugees who are being reunited with family members in the U.S., USCIS reviews the files of relatives to ensure that all of the information is consistent with the refugee’s claims.

Each approved case is referred to the FBI and CIA for a further security review called a Security Advisory Opinion (SAO). Iraqis are subject to an “enhanced” SAO threshold. If a refugee is cleared by the FBI and CIA, the case is submitted to the State Department for final review and approval for admission.

Upon arrival in a U.S. designated airport, a USCIS officer again interviews the refugee and compares the photographs in U.S. embassy records to ensure the person arriving is the same person who was screened and approved for admission. The USCIS officer will also issue the refugee photo identification that confirms his or her identity and authorizes his or her employment in the U.S. The refugee is required to file a change of address form within 10 days of any residential move.