top of page

Who Are Refugees?

According to the U.S., a refugee is defined as a person outside the country of his or her nationality, who is unable or unwilling to return to that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on his or her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion(Fact Sheet: U.S. Refugee Resettlement, 2020). There is currently "at least 79.5 million people around the world [who] have been forced to flee their homes" (UNHCR, 2020a). 

The Refugee Act of 1980 established the legal basis for admissions for refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S. The act "defined a refugee, established the Reception and Placement (R&P) program for initial resettlement under the U.S. Department of State, and created the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)" (Fact Sheet: U.S. Refugee Resettlement, 2020). 

The resettlement process involves identifying refugees needing resettlement, referral to the U.S., background and security clearance checks, in-person interviews, medical screenings, and matching with a sponsor agency (UNHCR, 2020b)

Refugees come to the U.S. from different countries around the world. "Since 1980, the United States has welcomed more than 3.8 million refugees and asylees" (Pompeo, 2020). Figure 1 shows the countries and regions where refugees are arriving from.

Did you know that the number of refugees who can enter the U.S. is determined by the president? Each year, the president of the United States determines how many refugees may enter the country. During his term, Trump signed the  Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions that authorized the resettlement of up to 15,000 refugees in the United States in the Fiscal Year 2021 (Pompeo, 2020). Figure 2 shows the U.S. annual refugee resettlement cap. The annual resettlement cap decreasing from 110,000 in 2017 to 15,000 in 2021, gives fewer opportunities to refugees to start a new life and get a job. 

​

​

What are Refugees called?

Refugees may be described as another term other than refugees. Below is a list of other terms used to describe refugees are: 

​

  • Asylum seekers

    • When people flee their own country and seek sanctuary in another country, they apply for asylum – the right to be recognized as a refugee and receive legal protection and material assistance.(UNHCR, n.d.). â€‹

  •  Boat people

    • refugees who have fled a country by boat, usually without sufficient provisions, navigational aids, or a set destination (“Boat People,” n.d.)

  •  Displaced person

    • individual forced to leave his or her native country or home (Kasturi, n.d.)​​

  •  Emigrant

  •  Evacuee

    • ​a person who is withdrawn or removed from a place of danger, a disaster area, etc. (“Evacuee,” n.d.)

  •  Exile

  •  Expatriate

  •  Foreigner

  • Internationally displaced persons

    • An internally displaced person, or IDP, is someone who has been forced to flee their home but never cross an international border.  (UNHCR, n.d.)

  •  Stateless persons

    • A stateless person is someone who is not a citizen of any country. (UNHCR, n.d.)

Refugees face difficult and stressful times being forced out of their country and seeking refuge in a different country. After settling in a new country, next on their agenda is finding a job. Finding a job can be extremely hard for many refugees.

​

A challenge they face is the "systemic barriers [that] prevent them from being able to put their experience and expertise to work in the U.S" (Peters, 2018). It is unfortunate that  "many licensing processes do not recognize experience or credentials earned abroad" (Peters, 2018). because many refugees that enter the workforce in the U.S. are well-educated individuals. As a result, "the pathway to rebuild one's career requires repeating years of education and training" (Maurer, 2020). It can be very discouraging for refugees to put their hard work, time, and effort into a career they had in their home country just for them to completely start over in a new country. 

​

Another challenge refugees face is language barriers. English is the primary language in the U.S. It will be difficult for anyone to succeed in the U.S. if they do not speak English. Language barriers can also make it difficult for refugees to advance in their careers. 

​

Challenges Refugees face in the Workplace

Inclusion

Practices

According to the  Tent and Deloitte Insight study, organizations have found value in hiring Refugees. Companies that foster inclusion for refugee employees can increase retention, recruitment, productivity, innovation, employee engagement and growth, and enhanced brand and reputation.  The Tent Study also states that "refugee employees in an inclusive workplace generally feel welcomed and have an equal opportunity to connect, belong, and grow" (Mehta et al., 2019) 

 ((

In order to make refugees feel welcomed and have equal opportunities to connect, belong, and grow, companies should offer skill development certification opportunities,  employee research groups, and language development opportunities. Skill development certification opportunities will allow refugee employees to learn the skills needed for their jobs. Employee Resource Groups will allow refugee employees to connect with fellow refugee employees to create a safe place for them in the workplace. Refugees come from countries that do not speak English so offering English programs will help refugees to feel less left out and allows their peers to connect with them.  

bottom of page