Proposed Refugee Admissions for FY 2004: Report to the Congress

Reports on proposed refugee admissions to the United States for fiscal year 2004. Presented to Congress by the U.S. Department of State, the report describes the refugee situation worldwide and the allocation of refugees to be admitted, analyzes the conditions within the countries from which these refugees come, outlines plans for and estimated costs of resettlement, and discusses the extent to which other countries will assist in resettlement efforts. Sections of the report provide details on: current U.S. refugee policy; proposed ceilings and admissions procedures for the coming year, including eligibility criteria and priority designations; regional programs in Africa, East Asia, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Near East and South Asia, with attention to issues of religious freedom, voluntary repatriation, local integration, and third-country resettlement; the social, economic, and demographic impact of refugee admissions; and the media age, sex, country of origin, and state of initial resettlement of recent refugee arrivals as well as the percentage of refugees admitted by resettlement countries. Program priorities for fiscal year 2004 include expanding family reunification and protecting unaccompanied minors. Possible future groups for resettlement include Bhutanese refugees from Nepal. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION FOREWORD I. OVERVIEW OF U.S. REFUGEE POLICY II. REFUGEE ADMISSIONS PROGRAM FOR FY 2004 A. Proposed Ceilings B. Admissions Procedures 1. Eligibility Criteria 2. The Worldwide Priority System for FY 2004 a) Priority 1 b) Priority 2 c) Priority 3 3. DHS/BCIS Refugee Adjudications a) DHS/BCIS Overseas Operations b) Case Presentation to DHS/BCIS c) The Eligibility Determination d) Additional Case Processing 4. Processing Activities of the Department of State a) Overseas Processing Services b) Cultural Orientation c) Transportation d) Reception and Placement III. REGIONAL PROGRAMS A. Africa 1. Religious Freedom 2. Voluntary Repatriation 3. Local Integration 4. Third-country Resettlement 5. FY 2003 U.S. Admissions 6. FY 2004 U.S. Resettlement Program 7. Possible Future Groups B. East Asia 1. Religious Freedom 2. Voluntary Repatriation 3. Local Integration 4. Third-country Resettlement 5. FY 2003 U.S. Admissions 6. FY 2004 U.S. Resettlement Program 7. Possible Future Groups C. Europe and Central Asia 1. Religious Freedom 2. Voluntary Repatriation 3. Local Integration 4. Third-country Resettlement 5. FY 2003 U.S. Admissions 6. FY 2004 U.S. Resettlement Program 7. Possible Future Groups D. Latin America and the Caribbean 1. Religious Freedom 2. Voluntary Repatriation 3. Local Integration 4. Third-country Resettlement 5. FY 2003 U.S. Admissions 6. FY 2004 U.S. Resettlement Program 7. Possible Future Groups E. Near East and South Asia 1. Religious Freedom 2. Voluntary Repatriation 3. Local Integration 4. Third-country Resettlement 5. FY 2003 U.S. Admissions 6. FY 2004 U.S. Resettlement Program 7. Possible Future Groups F. Unallocated Reserve IV. DOMESTIC IMPACT OF REFUGEE ADMISSIONS LIST OF TABLES Table I — Refugee Admissions in FY 2002 and FY 2003, FY 2004 Proposed Ceilings Table II — Median Age and Sex of Refugee Arrivals, FY 2002 Table III — Select Age Categories of Refugee Arrivals, FY 2002 Table IV — Refugee Arrivals by State of Initial Resettlement, FY 2002 Table V — Refugee Arrivals by Country of Origin, FY 2002 Table VI — Estimated Costs of Refugee Processing, Movement, and Resettlement FY 2003 and FY 2004 Estimates Table VII — UNHCR Resettlement Statistics by Resettlement Country, CY 2002