Refugees and Asylees: 2013
The United States provides refuge to persons who have been persecuted or have a well-founded fear of persecution through two programs: a refugee program for persons outside the U.S. and their immediate relatives and an asylum program for persons in the U.S. and their immediate relatives. This Office of Immigration Statistics Annual Flow Report provides information on the number of persons admitted to the United States as refugees or granted asylum in the United States in 2013. In this report, years refer to fiscal years (October 1 to September 30). Data presented refer to individuals not cases.
A total of 69,909 persons were admitted to the United States as refugees during 2013. The lea-ing countries of nationality for refugees were Iraq, Burma, and Bhutan. During 2013, 25,199 individuals were granted asylum, including 15,266 who were granted asylum affirmatively by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and 9,933 who were granted asylum defensively by the Department of Justice). The leading countries of nationality for persons granted either affirmative or defensive asylum were China, Egypt, and Ethiopia. Documents for travel to the United States were issued to 13,026 individuals who were approved for derivative asylum status while located abroad. The leading countries of nationality for the recipients of follow-to-join travel documents were China, Haiti, and Ethiopia. In addition to those approved overseas, 2,240 individuals were approved for derivative asylum status while residing in the United States.
KJ