Refugee Resettlement Process FAQs

Which countries resettle refugees?

The United States is one of many countries (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland) that work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide resettlement opportunities for refugees needing international assistance and long term durable solutions to their situation.

According to the UNHCR and the US Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, although “fewer than 1% of refugees worldwide are ever resettled, resettlement remains a vital tool for providing international protection and for meeting the special needs of individual refugees who are unable to return home.”

How are refugees processed for resettlement?

1. A person or family flees their country for fear of persecution and seeks protection and asylum in a neighboring country’s refugee camp.
2. UNHCR conducts interviews with the person(s) to assess whether or not they qualify to be given refugee status.
3. If they are classified as a refugee by UNHCR, the individual is given residency and aid in the refugee camp.
4. They will later go through an additional series of interviews to verify their story of persecution and flight and to identify if they have any relatives already resettled in other countries that they might be able to join.
5. Before a refugee is accepted for resettlement in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducts numerous security screenings of their eligibility for admission into the U.S. In addition, all refugees are medically screened prior to departure for resettlement in the U.S. and all refugees sign a travel loan document agreeing to pay back the cost of their flight to the U.S. 

How do refugees get to the U.S.?

The US State Department decides which refugees to resettle within our borders after they have been granted refugee status following individual interviews by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials, have passed extensive inter-agency security background checks and have passed health screenings.

Can refugees choose where they will be resettled in the U.S.?

Unless a refugee can identify relatives in a particular state within the United States while they are being processed for resettlement overseas, they will have no choice in where they are resettled - up to State Department.

Why might a secondary migrant move from their initial resettlement site to a state like Maine?

Refugees may move to Maine from other states to reunite with relatives, or seeking Maine's safe communities, good schools, and housing.

Are there medical conditions that exclude refugees from coming to the US?

Yes, there are certain medical conditions that are excludable. These include active (not positive) TB, past or present physical or mental disorder with associated harmful behaviors, communicable diseases of public health significance, and Hansen’s disease.

What is the history of refugee resettlement in Maine?

Refugee arrivals in Maine mirror the global conflicts of the time: