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This is about Salva

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Many Refugee Kids around the World do not go to school

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Many Refugee Kids around the World do not go to school

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These are small, short stories about different refugees

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Shattered Lives-Scope Article about Refugees

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Salva Dut was born in a rural village in southwestern Sudan to the Dinka tribe. At 11 years old, the Sudanese Civil War reached his village and separated Salva from his family. He joined thousands of boys, famously known as the Lost Boys of Sudan, on their journey by foot to seek safety in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. After living in refugee camps for 10 years, Salva was given the opportunity to move to the United States, where he was embraced by a family in Rochester, New York. Several years later, Salva learned that his father was still alive in Southern Sudan but was suffering with a disease caused by waterborne parasites. His father's illness inspired Salva to help both his father and his country by bringing clean water to those in need. This was the beginning of Water for South Sudan.

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Salva Dut was born in a rural village in southwestern Sudan to the Dinka tribe. At 11 years old, the Sudanese Civil War reached his village and separated Salva from his family. He joined thousands of boys, famously known as the Lost Boys of Sudan, on their journey by foot to seek safety in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya.

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United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

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As increasing numbers are forced from their homes by armed groups in Niger's volatile western border region, UNHCR mobilizes network of local protection monitors to help respond.

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Voice of Witness
A Real Life Account from a Sudanese Refugee

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War in Sudan-Causes and Effects from the past to modern day

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With forced displacement reaching historic levels, schools all over the world are welcoming increasing numbers of refugee children. Teachers are facing new challenges in making sense of forced displacement and its complexities. Refugees and migrants regularly make headlines and the internet is bustling with information on the topic. Explaining the situation of refugees and migrants to primary and secondary school children has become part of many educators' daily work.

In addition, training and guidance for teachers with refugees in their classrooms is not always based on best practice, and is not always easily available.

On this UNHCR Teaching About Refugees page you can find free-of-charge and adaptable UNHCR teaching materials on refugees, asylum, migration and statelessness and a section dedicated to professional development and guidance for primary and secondary school teachers on including refugee children in their classes. Use and combine these materials as you see fit in your lessons about the topic.

1. Words matter

2. Facts and figures about refugees

3. UNHCR media materials and reports

4. Teaching materials

5. Including refugees in your classroom

6. Other teaching resources

Words matter

Understanding the terms refugees, migration and asylum begins with understanding a few basics. The word refugee is often used as a blanket term for people displaced by war, violence or persecution. But there are different categories of displaced people, each with specific needs. Knowing what these categories mean exactly is important and will contribute to better understanding of this complex topic.

Watch these explainer animations yourself as a preparation for your lesson or training. Choose which sections you need, and use them in your own lesson plans as well. The animations are suitable for use as teaching material for pupils age 12 and over.

Facts and figures about refugees

Finding the right facts and figures about refugees and migrants can be a challenge for teachers. There is a plethora of information available on the internet from thousands of sources. However, the information provided is not always verifiable, complete or up-to-date.

UNHCR helps forcibly displaced people worldwide. We keep detailed, up-to-date statistics and data on refugees, asylum-seekers, IDPs and stateless people. In this section you will find a selection of teachers' notes and fact sheets you may find useful for your lessons. You can create your own lesson by using and combining the materials as you see fit.

Basics

Eye-openers

More than 70 million people are forcibly displaced today. That means they are in danger because of violence, war or persecution and had to leave their houses and go elsewhere to be safe. They now live as refugees, internally displaced people or asylum-seekers. (Watch the materials in the Words Matter section if you want to know what these categories mean)

But what does 70 million people really mean? Why do so many people flee? How many are women? How many are children? How long do people live as refugees? Use these teacher notes to reflect with your pupils on refugee numbers. Link what you teach to the life of refugees and to their own life in school and elsewhere. Suitable for teaching children in secondary education (age 12 and over).

Around half of the worlds' refugees are children. More than half of the refugee children of school age, 3.7 million, are out of school.

They have no opportunities to get an education, which can affect them for the rest of your life. What would it mean if only 1 out of 4 children would be in your secondary school? Where do most refugee children live? And how would you go to school if you were forced to flee to another country? Use these teacher notes to reflect with your pupils on school life and the life of refugee children. Suitable for teaching children in secondary education (age 12 and over).

Top of his class

Watch and discuss the story of Maliyamungu Gift, a young South Sudanese refugee. He dropped out of school because of war in his country but is now top of his class in Congo. He wants to become a teacher and created his own solar-powered lamp so he can study in the evenings.

UNHCR media materials and reports

If you want to read more about refugees, asylum and migration to prepare your lessons, you can read UNHCR's main publications and on-line resources on refugees, asylum and migration. Some of these materials may also be used for research assignments for children in higher secondary education.

Teaching materials

Here you can find teaching materials about refugees, asylum, migration and statelessness for all age groups in primary and secondary education.

Click on the age category and find lesson plans, activity guides, videos and other materials to use in your class.

Including refugees in your classroom

With forced displacement at a record high since World War II, many teachers now have refugees or asylum-seekers in their classroom. Teaching newcomers often comes with specific needs relating to language acquisition and adaptation to a new culture and environment. Some refugee children may suffer from stress or trauma preventing them from participating fully in school activities, and requiring specific support.

Below you will find some professional guidance to support you

Other teaching resources

Many organisations have created excellent teaching resources on refugees, asylum, migration and statelessness.

On this page you'll find a curated selection of teaching materials from NGOs, governments and other organizations, which you can search by language and age group.

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United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

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With forced displacement reaching historic levels, schools all over the world are welcoming increasing numbers of refugee children. Teachers are facing new challenges in making sense of forced displacement and its complexities. Refugees and migrants regularly make headlines and the internet is bustling with information on the topic.

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Teaching About Refugees - Hassan and Youssof's story

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UNHCR Youtube channel with lots of refugee stories

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UNHCR Youtube channel with lots of refugee stories

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unhcr "united nations refugee agency" un "united nations" refugee idp "internally displaced people" "asylum seeker" crisis help donate disaster emergency hum...

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For 70 years, UNHCR has protected and promoted the rights of refugees and displaced people. Nearly 80 million people in the world - one percent of humanity - have been forced to flee their homes because of war or persecution. The UN refugee agency offers them life-saving aid, protection... and hope.

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BBC Our World South Sudan Shattered Dream

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South Sudan Civil War: Refugees flee the atrocities - BBC News

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United Nations officials rarely use the words 'genocide' or 'ethnic cleaning', but they say the violence in South Sudan has the potential to be just that. Fighting has been raging there between political and ethnic factions since a delicate peace deal was shattered in July.

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The International Rescue Committee and Sesame Workshop are working together to give refugee children a chance at a brighter future. "Less than two percent of all humanitarian aid funding goes on education, even though half of the world's refugees are kids," says IRC president and CEO David Miliband in an interview about the partnership that aired on "60 Minutes" on November 17. Watch the full story online.

Read more about the IRC and Sesame Workshop.

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On "60 Minutes": Educating the youngest refugees

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The International Rescue Committee and Sesame Workshop are working together to give refugee children a chance at a brighter future. "Less than two percent of all humanitarian aid funding goes on education, even though half of the world's refugees are kids," says IRC president and CEO David Miliband in an interview about the partnership that aired on "60 Minutes" on November 17.

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They are as young as 7 and as old as 75. Some have recently fled their homes, while others have been displaced for decades. Take a moment to meet 13 courageous refugees, who have overcome unthinkable situations around the world.

Alia

Alia fled her home in Aleppo, Syria and is currently living in Damour, Lebanon. She shared her story through Gruppo Aleimar, an Italian NGO which provides free nutritious meals to refugees in the Damour area. Alia is 7 years old.

"The last thing I remember of Syria, before we left, was when my mother was taking me from our place to our grandparents'. The roads were full of dead corpses. I saw dead people with no heads or no hands or legs. I was so shocked I couldn't stop crying. To calm me down, my grandfather told me they were mean people, but I still prayed for them, because even if some considered them mean, they were still dead human beings.

Back at home, I left a friend in Syria, her name was Rou'a. I miss her a lot and I miss going to school with her. I used to play with her with my Atari but I couldn't bring it with me. I also used to have pigeons-one of them had eggs. I would feed them and care for them. I'm worried about them, I really pray someone is still caring for them. But here I have a small kitten that I really love! I miss my home a lot. I hope one day we'll be back and things will be just like before."

Bizimana

Bizimana fled his home in Rwanda and is now living in Nairobi, Kenya. His story was shared with us by Refugees International Japan, which focuses on the health, education and economic livelihoods of people displaced by conflict around the world.

Bizimana was 2 years old when his family had to flee the Rwandan genocide to Burundi. From there he moved to camps in Tanzania and now lives in Nairobi, Kenya. He received business start-up training and has established a business that has grown so fast he is now able to start a cafe service. He is also a prize-winning singer.

Wictoria + Vova + Sasha

Wictoria, Vova, and their son, Sasha, fled their home in Kyiv, Ukraine. Their story was shared with us by the Doctor Piotr Janaszek PAY IT FORWARD Foundation, which provides physiotherapy and life training for refugees with disabilities who had to leave Ukraine for Poland due to the war.

"We are from around Kyiv. When the war broke out, we were not only afraid of bombings, we knew that the only way for our son to function normally was to go to Poland, where doctors were always available," Wiktoria recalled.

Their son, Sasha, has just turned 15. Since he was 2 years old, he has been moving in a wheelchair. He suffers from SMA (spinal muscular atrophy). He is a bright boy who is interested in everything related to the Internet. He is studying remotely in a Ukrainian school and will soon have a well-deserved vacation.

"When the war broke out, we didn't think long. We quickly packed our bags and moved to Poland, knowing that good people there would help us start a new life," Vova said.

They escaped from Ukraine during the heaviest shooting. The journey to Poland took four days.

"There is no place on Earth we cannot leave to make our son's life easier. We were able to take a few pictures from our home in Ukraine, the rest is in our hearts and heads," Wiktoria said.

Yara

Yara fled her home in Syria and is currently living in Tripoli, Lebanon. Her story was shared with us by Concern Worldwide, which works with displaced persons inside Syria and with refugees and vulnerable host families in Lebanon and Turkey to meet basic needs, improve access to health care, and provide psychosocial support.

Yara has loved sewing since she was a child. "My mother taught me when I was a young girl and said it would always be a useful skill," she said. "I never imagined that one day it would come to mean so much, and provide me with a small income." Originally from Syria, Yara studied embroidery at a self-help group in Tripoli, Lebanon, run by Concern Worldwide's local partners. She attended workshops for two hours a day and was able to leave her younger children at a partner-run kindergarten.

"Embroidery is a new skill for me," she said. "There is so much to learn, and every day we do something different. The main thing is that it occupies my mind and it stops me from thinking too much. Using my hands and creating something beautiful calms me. The lady who teaches the embroidery class is like a mother figure for us." Yara has been living in Lebanon with her five children and husband for the past two years. "We were a close-knit family, but we had to flee Syria," she explained. Her parents and one of her sisters were in a refugee camp in Jordan, and two sisters are still in Syria. "I worry about them every day."

Sabri

Sabri fled his home in Aleppo, Syria and is currently living in Paiania, Greece. Sabri shared his story with us through , a Greek organization responding to the needs of Syrian refugees in Greece and implementing a photography project to help Syrian children address psychological problems. Sabri is 16 years old.

"I am currently staying at a guesthouse for minors and families in Paiania, just outside Athens, Greece with my family. I'd like to go to Germany. We already know my family and I were granted permission to relocate to a German city. We are hoping to start a new page in our lives. I wish I could make people love each other-that is my dream."

Achan

Achan fled her home in Pajok, South Sudan and is currently living in a refugee camp in Lamwo District, Uganda. Her story was shared with us by Hope Ofiriha, a Norwegian NGO that assists South Sudanese refugees with medical care, microfinance, and education. She is 75 years old.

Achan is a widow who had eight children. Seven of her children died during the ongoing war in her home country of South Sudan. As a result, she was left with many orphans to take care of. Before the war, she was a peasant farmer in Sudan who cultivated to sustain her big family. When the war broke out in her community, she and her family ran to save their lives, leaving all their belongings behind. She believes her home has been destroyed by the rebels.
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Shahid

Shahid fled his home in Aleppo, Syria and is currently living is living in an abandoned factory with his wife and other families in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. He shared his story with us through Global Hope Network International, which provides financial assistance to families fleeing the conflict in Syria.

"We hid ourselves on the mountain for about eight nights. From the mountain, we saw a battle between [the violent group] and the PKK (Kurdish forces), who fought very courageously. After the sun set, we went to them. They treated us with much respect and took us to a place where there were lots of Yazidis and gave us food. Thus, after eight days of walking between the Iraq and Syrian borders, they helped us reach a quiet region in Northern Iraq. From there, we drove to Sulaymaniyah City."

Shafaq

Shafaq fled her home in Dera'a, Syria and is currently living with her family in Bekaa, Lebanon. She shared her story with us through the Middle East Children's Alliance, which provides emergency support to newly arrived refugees in Lebanon. Shafaq is 14 years old.

"I used to have a peaceful life and live in my amazing home in Dera'a. I enjoyed the nature around my house and the food coming from the land. I woke up every morning to the sound of birds singing. The brutality of the civil war forced my family to leave this house and to start the journey to be refugees.

"Since the start of our journey, we moved a lot in Lebanon, and I attended different schools. In the end, my family decided to go close to the border with Syria. We came to this area because just we want to survive. My father is working as an electrician and this is the only income for our family. All of my family we are living in a tiny house with one bedroom, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. We are considered illegal because we don't have official documents.

"I am behind two years in school because of moving from one school to another. I am still doing very good in my school, and I will continue to do that. I want to finish my education to help my family, and to help other people who want to learn. I consider myself lucky to have Al Jalil Center. I got a lot of educational, emotional, and psychological support. I am also really sad because of the unknown future waiting for me. Every day I wonder where I will be tomorrow. Yes, it's an unknown future."
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Fouzia

Fouzia fled her home in Kabul, Afghanistan, lived for 14 years in Tajikistan, and has recently returned to Kabul. She shared her story with us through Aid Afghanistan for Education, which works to unlock the potential of young marginalized Afghans, including former refugees and child brides, through education as a means to prepare them to fully participate in society. Fouzia is 24 years old.

"During the factional war, my family and I left the country as it became unbearable to live in Kabul. Hundreds, or I think thousands, of rockets were hitting the city every day. We left for Tajikistan and came back when we heard there is peace in Afghanistan. We lived in Tajikistan for 14 years with the hope of going back home. Tajikistan was not our country." Fouzia wants to be a teacher to help spread peace through education in Afghanistan. For her safety, we did not share her photo, but rather another photo from AAE's school.

Qais + Daewood

Qais and Daewood fled their homes in Afghanistan and are currently living in Oinofyta refugee camp in Greece. Their stories were shared with us by Do Your Part, a volunteer organization that supports the Oinofyta refugee camp and its residents in Greece.

They are now running a sewing business in Oinofyta refugee camp! They hope to be granted asylum in Greece so that they can raise their families in safety.

Abdul

Abdul fled his home in Homs, Syria and is now living in Amman, Jordan. His story was shared with us by International Humanistic Psychology Association, which is providing psychosocial support to Syrian refugee children living in Jordan by conducting disaster healthcare field clinics and training local therapists.

Abdul now lives in an apartment building with forty female head of household refugee families in Amman. His father was killed in Syria. He has been seen a number of times in the psychosocial clinic run within the apartment building. Staff from International Humanistic Psychology Association visited his school because of his complaints of being bullied by one particular student.

He couldn't believe they would come to try to help him as he had tried with the school teacher and felt unheard. He said it was one of the best things that had happened to him since they came to Jordan. Abdul hopes to drive buses, likes to help others, and loves soccer.

Bara'a

Bara'a and her family fled their home in Syria and are currently living with her three children in a refugee camp in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Her story was shared with us by , which supports mothers and children through hygiene and health supplies as well as training local women as midwives to support long-term development.

Bara'a still experiences trauma surrounding the birth of her youngest child, Rouba, four years ago. Her hands shake as she recalls the memory. Unable to breastfeed her daughter due to mental exhaustion, Bara'a had to rely on donations to buy formula milk to feed Rouba. Once the donations ran out after a week, Bara'a had no choice but to feed her newborn a mixture of sugar and water.

Alongside this, she had to take out loans to provide nappies for all of her children, who still wet themselves due to mental trauma. The uncertainty of their future makes life even more difficult for Bara'a, but she's still hopeful: "My only dream is to send my children to school."

Noorkin + Yacob

Noorkin and her son Yacob fled their home in Myanmar when Myanmar's military and Buddhist extremist groups started clearance operations against Rohingya people. They are Rohingya refugees currently living in the Cox's Bazar refugee camp in Bangladesh. Their story was shared with us by World Vision. Noorkin is 40 years old and Yacob is 10.

"Back in Myanmar my father was a farmer and he also went fishing. Along with my siblings, I used to attend school regularly. I was in Grade 2 when we left. We used to learn Burmese literature in school. But it all came to an end the day our house got burnt. The houses in our village were on fire. We couldn't run to the jungle because it was on fire, too. We fled to another village but that village was also attacked. We were stranded so we fled again to a canal and stayed there for two days with no food. We made it across the border and now we live here in the camps," Yacob explained.

He continued: "I like being a leader. At the centre, I get the children together and them ask them to follow me when I am doing the actions. I tell them 'Please, I am going to start reciting the poem, so follow me.' I am a good boy and a quick learner. I also make other children laugh. It is fun. I want to learn more and more because I want to become a teacher when I grow up."

"They are slowly getting back to feeling normal again," Noorkin said about her children. "I desire a bright future for my children where they can be what they want to be."
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Note: Names may have been changed for safety reasons.

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13 Powerful Refugee Stories From Around The World

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They are as young as 7 and as old as 75. They are starting over in amazing ways.

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It's not about moving here for a better life. It's about fleeing for survival. Meet a few of the refugees who have made their home in Indiana.

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Refugee Stories "Today I stand to say that no matter what the world throws at you, if you stand firm in your beliefs and fight for what is right, you will be successful.

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Refugee Admissions - United States Department of State

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U.S. Refugee Admissions Program Refugee resettlement is a durable solution for individuals with humanitarian protection needs who have left their country, cannot safely return home, and require permanent resettlement to a third country because they are unable to remain in the country where they curr…

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Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

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Reception and Placement - United States Department of State

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U.S. Refugee Admissions Program: Reception and Placement Refugees selected for resettlement through U.S. Refugee Admissions Program are eligible for Reception and Placement (R&P) assistance, unlike asylees, who arrive in the United States on their own. Each refugee approved for admission to the Un…

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To obtain asylum through the affirmative asylum process you must be physically present in the United States. You may apply for asylum regardless of how you arrived in the United States or your current immigration status.

You must apply for asylum within 1 year of the date of your last arrival in the United States, unless you can show:

Changed circumstances that materially affect your eligibility for asylum or extraordinary circumstances relating to the delay in filing; and

You filed within a reasonable amount of time given those circumstances.

You may apply for affirmative asylum by submitting Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, to USCIS.

If your case is not approved and you do not have a legal immigration status, we will issue a Form I-862, Notice to Appear (NTA), and refer your case to an immigration judge with the Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). The immigration judge conducts a "de novo" hearing of the case. This means that the judge conducts a new hearing and issues a decision that is independent of the decision made by USCIS. In certain circumstances, if USCIS does not have jurisdiction over your case, the asylum office will issue a Form I-863, Notice of Referral to Immigration Judge, for an asylum-only hearing. See the section "Defensive Asylum Processing With EOIR" below if this situation applies to you.

If you were previously issued an NTA that was not filed and docketed with the EOIR immigration court, or your previously issued NTA was filed and docketed with EOIR either shortly before (within 21 days) or after you filed your Form I-589 with USCIS, USCIS will refile your NTA (if necessary) and send your Form I-589 to the immigration court for adjudication.

To determine where to file your Form I-589, follow the instructions under the "Where to File" section on our Form I-589 page. For more information, please see What Happens After You File Your Form I-589 With USCIS.

You may live in the United States while your Form I-589 is pending before USCIS. If you are found ineligible, you can remain in the United States while your Form I-589 is pending with the immigration judge. Asylum applicants are not authorized to work unless you meet certain requirements. For more information, please see Permission to Work in the United States. Affirmative asylum applicants are rarely detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Please see the Affirmative Asylum Process for step-by-step information on applying for asylum through the affirmative asylum process.

If you are placed in expedited removal proceedings and indicate an intention to apply for asylum, express a fear of persecution or torture, or express a fear of return to your country, you will be referred to USCIS for a credible fear screening. For more information, visit the Credible Fear Screenings page.

A USCIS asylum officer will conduct a credible fear screening interview to determine whether you have a credible fear of persecution or torture. For more information, visit the Questions and Answers: Credible Fear Screening page.

If an asylum officer finds that you have a credible fear of persecution or torture, USCIS may either:

Retain and consider your application for asylum and also consider your eligibility for withholding of removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) in a second interview. This is known as an Asylum Merits Interview. An asylum officer will decide whether you are eligible for asylum. If necessary, an asylum officer will also determine whether you demonstrated eligibility for withholding of removal or protection under CAT based on the record before USCIS; or

Issue a Notice to Appear before an immigration judge for consideration of your asylum, withholding of removal, and CAT protection claims. When you file the Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, with the immigration court, it places you in the "defensive" asylum process. See "Defensive Asylum Processing With EOIR" below for more information.

For more information, visit the Asylum Merits Interview with USCIS: Processing After a Positive Credible Fear Determination and Questions and Answers: Credible Fear Screening pages.

A defensive application for asylum occurs when you request asylum as a defense against removal from the United States. For asylum processing to be defensive, you must be in removal proceedings in immigration court with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).

Individuals are generally placed into defensive asylum processing in one of two ways:

They are referred to an immigration judge by USCIS after they have been determined to be ineligible for asylum at the end of the affirmative asylum process, or

They are placed in removal proceedings because they:

Were apprehended in the United States or at a U.S. port of entry without proper legal documents or in violation of their immigration status; or

Were apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) trying to enter the United States without proper documentation, were placed in the expedited removal process, and were found to have a credible fear of persecution or torture by an asylum officer. See Questions & Answers: Credible Fear Screenings for more information on the credible fear process.

Immigration judges hear defensive asylum cases in adversarial (courtroom-like) proceedings, as necessary. The judge will hear arguments from both of the following parties:

You (and your attorney, if represented)

The U.S. government, which is represented by an attorney from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The immigration judge then decides whether you are eligible for asylum. If the immigration judge finds you eligible, they will grant asylum. If the immigration judge finds you ineligible for asylum, they will determine whether you are eligible for any other forms of relief from removal. If the immigration judge finds you ineligible for other forms of relief, they will order you to be removed from the United States. Either party can appeal the immigration judge's decision.

See the Granted a Green Card by an Immigration Judge or Board of Immigration Appeals page for information about the grant of asylum by an immigration judge.

For information about the Executive Office for Immigration Review, including the Immigration Courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals, see Executive Office for Immigration Review. To determine where to file your Form I-589, follow the instructions under the "Where to File" section on our Form I-589 page.

Affirmative Asylum Processing With USCIS

Asylum Merits Interview With USCIS After a Positive Credible Fear Determination

Defensive Asylum Processing With EOIR

You have not been placed in removal proceedings before an immigration judge (unless you are an unaccompanied child).

You were subject to expedited removal and found to have a credible fear of persecution or torture.
You have not been placed in removal proceedings before an immigration judge.
You have been placed in removal proceedings before an immigration judge.

You affirmatively submit Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, to USCIS.

The written record of the positive credible fear determination made during the credible fear screening process is treated as your application for asylum. You do not need to file a Form I-589 with USCIS.

You:

Are placed in removal proceedings by USCIS after USCIS does not grant asylum in the affirmative process;

Are placed in removal proceedings by ICE or CBP for immigration violations; or

Were subject to expedited removal, found to have a credible fear of persecution or torture, and issued a Notice to Appear.

If you were referred to EOIR by USCIS, the asylum application on file with USCIS will carry over to the immigration judge, provided it was not abandoned or dismissed. If you do not have an asylum application on file with USCIS, you must submit a Form I-589 to the immigration judge if you wish to apply for asylum.

You appear before a USCIS asylum officer for a non-adversarial affirmative asylum interview.

You appeared for a credible fear screening interview with a USCIS asylum officer. You were found to have a credible fear of persecution or torture and USCIS retained the case.
An asylum officer further considers your application for asylum in a non-adversarial Asylum Merits Interview. If they do not grant asylum, they will determine your eligibility for withholding of removal or protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) based on the record before USCIS.
You appear before an immigration judge with EOIR for an adversarial, court-like hearing, if necessary.

You usually must provide a qualified interpreter for the affirmative asylum interview. See Asylum Interview Interpreter Requirement Modification Due to COVID-19 TFR page.

USCIS provides a qualified interpreter for the Asylum Merits Interview.

The immigration court provides a qualified interpreter for the asylum hearing and all other court proceedings.

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To obtain asylum through the affirmative asylum process you must be physically present in the United States. You may apply for asylum regardless of how you arrived in the United States or your current immigration status.

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ALERT: Afghan Nationals seeking refugee resettlement

Afghan Nationals seeking refugee resettlement:

In general, you must be given access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The following priorities are available to Afghan Nationals:

Priority-1 Individual Cases: Cases are identified and referred to the program by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a U.S. embassy, or a designated non-governmental organization.

Priority-2 Groups of special humanitarian concern: On Aug. 2, 2021, the Department of State announced a new Priority 2 Designation for certain Afghan nationals and eligible family members. For further information, please visit the Refugee Processing Center.

Priority-3 Family Reunification: Spouses, unmarried children under the age of 21, or parents of individuals already admitted to the U.S. as refugees or asylees are in this category.

Under United States law, a refugee is someone who:

Is located outside of the United States

Is of special humanitarian concern to the United States

Demonstrates that they were persecuted or fear persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group

Is not firmly resettled in another country

Is admissible to the United States

A refugee does not include anyone who ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

For the legal definition of refugee, see section 101(a)(42) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

You must receive a referral to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for consideration as a refugee. For more information on the referral criteria, see the USRAP Consultations and Worldwide Processing Priorities page.

If you receive a referral, you will receive help filling out your application and then be interviewed abroad by a USCIS officer who will determine whether you are eligible for refugee resettlement. For more information about eligibility, see our Refugee Eligibility Determination page.

Your case may include your spouse, child (unmarried and under 21 years of age), and in some limited circumstances, other family members. You may include a same-sex spouse in your application provided that you and your spouse are legally married. As a general matter, USCIS looks to the law of the place where the marriage took place when determining whether it is valid for immigration law purposes. Same-sex partners who are not married but who are qualified to access the U.S. Refugee Admissions under one of the three designated worldwide processing priorities may have their cases cross-referenced so that they can be interviewed at the same time and, if approved by USCIS, resettled in the same geographic area in the United States.

There is no fee to apply for refugee status. The information you provide will not be shared with your home country.

For more information about USRAP and the referral process, see our USRAP Consultations and Worldwide Processing Priorities page.

If you are approved as a refugee, you will receive a medical exam, a cultural orientation, help with your travel plans, and a loan for your travel to the United States. After you arrive, you will be eligible for medical and cash assistance. For more information on benefits available to refugees, please see the Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement page.

If you are a refugee in the United States and want your family members who are abroad to join you, you may file Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition, for your spouse and unmarried children under 21. You must file within two years of your arrival to the United States unless there are humanitarian reasons to excuse this deadline. For more information about bringing your family to the United States, see our Family of Refugees and Asylees page.

You may also be eligible to file an Affidavit of Relationship for your spouse, child (unmarried, under 21), or parents. The Affidavit of Relationship is the form used to reunite refugees and asylees with close relatives who are determined to be refugees but are outside the United States. The Affidavit of Relationship records information about family relationships and must be completed in order to begin the application process for relatives who may be eligible to enter the United States as refugees through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. For information on the current nationalities eligible to file, see U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees & Migration.

If you have refugee status and want to travel outside the United States, you will need to obtain a Refugee Travel Document in order to return to the United States. If you do not obtain a Refugee Travel Document in advance of departure, you may be unable to re-enter the United States. If you return to the country from which you fled, you will have to explain how you were able to return safely.

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ALERT: Afghan Nationals seeking refugee resettlement