THE LIVES OF REFUGEES

A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or
violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality,
political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are
afraid to do so. War, ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugee resettlement.

Refugees are unsure if or when they will be able to return to their home country and do not get
the chance to bring anything with them.

When they get off the plane, they essentially get adopted by an agency immediately.

They may not speak English, and barely know about the United States.

The agency helps acclimate them and prepare the necessary paperwork.

They also coordinate housing and help them find employment to potentially begin saving for
their own home.

Fast Facts
There were 19.5 million refugees worldwide at the end of 2014. There were 14.4 million under the
mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which is around
2.9 million more than in 2013.
An estimated 13.9 million people were newly displaced due to conflict or persecution, including
2.9 million new refugees. By the end of 2014, the number of people assisted or protected by
UNHCR had reached a record high of 46.7 million people.

The Process
When all efforts to help refugees return home have failed, a third country resettlement becomes a
last resort option. In order to receive official refugee status in a country of asylum, an individual will
have left his or her home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race,
religion, nationality, social group affiliation, or political opinion. The following countries have
resettlement programs:

Australia

Finland

New Zealand

Switzerland

Canada

Japan

Norway

United States

Denmark

The Netherlands

Sweden

Information provided by:

http://www.unhcr.org.uk/about-us/key-facts-and-figures.html