ECDC-CARI.org - African Refugees and Immigrants

Refugees

Of the nearly 900,000 African immigrants that have arrived in the United States since 1980, more than 175,000 have been refugees. A refugee is a person who "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..." Refugees are the victims of war, political persecution, and terror.

Refugees flee from their homelands in search of safety. In recent years, major refugee movements have resulted from civil wars, international conflicts, and ethnic, tribal, and religious violence. The government of a country into which a refugee flees determines whether or not an individual meets that country’s definition of a refugee under its interpretation of international refugee law. Although, the United Nations may also identify individuals or en mass groups as refugees. After an individual has been identified as a refugee, the host country, in coordination with the international community and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), identifies one of three “durable solutions” for a refugee. These are:

Voluntary return to one’s home country;

Integration into the host country; or

Resettlement in a third country.

For refugees identified as in need of resettlement in a third country, such as the United States, a formalized and detailed process must be undertaken. The United States carries out its own resettlement candidate interview process in refugee camps around the world. A series of interviews determines whether an individual’s claim to refugee status is legitimate and also whether that individual meets certain medical and security clearances. After an in-camp cultural orientation session, travel to the United States usually occurs within a few weeks to a few months.

Refugees are resettled in nearly every state across the country. All refugees receive basic resettlement assistance in the form of housing assistance, limited immediate reception and placement money, medical screening, employment readiness and job procurement assistance, and basic English language training.

Many refugees struggle with integration into the resettlement society; resettlement, into what often represents a completely foreign environment, can physically and emotionally strain individuals and families. Both post-traumatic and acculturative stresses can dog refugees’ abilities to hold jobs, socially connect with American-born individuals, and access services in a meaningful way. Host community factors like stereotype and discrimination seriously complicate refugee transition.

And yet, refugees thrive in the United States. Given a second chance at life, refugees capitalize on the wealth of new opportunities open to them. Refugees earn substantive wages – sometimes for the first time in their lives, put themselves and their children through school, purchase homes, and contribute to the American legacy as a nation of immigrants.

Immigrants

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) broadly defines an immigrant as any alien in the United States, except one legally admitted under specific nonimmigrant categories (INA section 101(a)(15)) such as tourist, student, temporary worker, etc. Lawful permanent residents are immigrants that have legally been accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States. They may be issued immigrant visas by the Department of State (embassies) overseas or adjusted to permanent resident status while in the U.S. An immigrant differs from a refugee or asylee in that an immigrant is an individual who voluntarily leaves his/her country of origin and has been admitted to reside permanently in the U.S., where as a refugee/asylee is compelled to leave his/her country due to fear of persecution.

A legal permanent resident (LPR) is a foreign national who has been granted lawful permanent residence in and is authorized to live and work permanently the United States. LPR’s are commonly known as “Green-Card” holders. African immigrants become LPRs through a number of ways. These include:

Family-Based Visa

Family-based legal permanent residents are those who are spouses, parents, and unmarried children (under the age of 21) of U.S. citizens and are classified as immediate relatives. This category is given highest priority and has no annual limit.

The second subcategory of the family-based LPR is for those who are a family member, but is not an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen and are defined as a family preference LPR. There is an annual cap for this subcategory and according to 2004 data from USCIS it is 226,000 to 480,000. These family preferences are:

First Preference that includes unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens over 21 years of age and their children;

Second Preference that includes spouses, minor children and unmarried adult children (over 21 years of age) of LPRs.

Third Preference that includes married children of U.S. Citizens (regardless of age) of U.S. citizens and their spouses and children.

Fourth Preference includes brothers and sisters (and their spouses and children) of U.S. citizens aged 21 and over.

Diversity Visa

Diversity legal permanent residents are those that are granted LPR status through a diversity visa lottery. This program allows for the immigration of nationals of countries with low rates of immigration to the United States, with an annual limit of 50,000 in 2005.

Employment-Based Visa

Employment-based legal permanent residents are those that are granted permanent status because their job skills meet employers’ needs. According to USCIS 2004 fact sheet, the total number stands at 140,000 plus unused family-sponsored preferences in the previous year.

Africans in the United States

Refugees

Asylees

Immigrants

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