There are nearly 20M refugees across the world, more than we have ever seen before.

Forced from their homes

A refugee is someone who has fled from his or her home country because of a well-founded fear of persecution based on:

• Religion

• Race

• Nationality

• Social Group

• Political Opinion

More than a third of the world's refugees come from three countries

These countries have been plagued and destabilized by years of wars and violence.

• Syria
• Afghanistan
• Somalia

Resettlement is a rare opportunity

Most refugees fleeing their home country first take refuge in an asylum country. Then, they have three options: to return to where they came from, to remain in their asylum country—most probably living in a camp—or to resettle in a third country. The majority of refugees will remain stateless and without a permanent home.

Resettlement is the transfer of refugees to a country that agrees to grant them an opportunity to start over in a safe place. It is a rare opportunity.

Of the world’s nearly 20,000,000 refugees, UNHCR referred 134,000 for resettlement in 2015. Only 82,000 were resettled.

The US is the world’s top resettlement country, accepting 53,000 refugees in 2015. Canada, Australia, Germany, and Scandinavian countries also accept many refugees every year.

Biometric markers are like passwords that can’t be forgotten or stolen.

Checked against three different databases

Applicants’ physical traits, such as fingerprints and iris scans, are screened by three different agencies’ biometric databases, one after the other:

• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Department of Homeland Security
• US Department of Defense (DOD)

The applicant’s fingerprints are screened against government watch lists and checked for previous immigration encounters—including cases in which the applicant previously applied for a visa at a US embassy.

Throughout the process, the US coordinates with international governments and Interpol, the international criminal police organization, which has a database of more than 10,000 suspected terrorists.

USCIS has started piloting social media vetting as yet another way to screen refugee resettlement applicants.

Refugees build their American dream from scratch.

90 days of support from the US Government

The US government’s goal is to help refugees become self-sufficient as quickly as possible.

After they arrive, the government offers a range of support to make sure families can land on their feet:

• Modest, functional furniture and household items
• Short-term food stamps and assistance with applying for additional benefits
• Seasonally appropriate clothing for all members of the family
• Assistance applying for a social security card
• Enrollment in English language programs and school for kids
• Job services

After 90 days, a local refugee resettlement agency will assist refugees for up to two years and even beyond, helping them settle into their new lives and integrate into their new communities.

Resettlement is fundamentally life-changing. For many families, it is an incredibly trying and painful experience that requires patience, healing, resilience and optimism. But in time, it yields a new life full of opportunity and possibility.

After the initial shock, resettled families begin looking for jobs, learning English and enrolling in training programs. They start saving money and paying back the loans that financed their travel to the US.

Refugees eventually apply for their green cards and many become Americans—one of us. They are part of the fabric of American life, whether restocking shelves at the grocery store, driving taxis, starting businesses, creating thought-provoking art and music, or leading groundbreaking scientific discoveries.