What does it mean to be a refugee?

There are strict guidelines that permit one to gain refugee status.

“A refugee is someone who has fled their country or has been displaced from their home and through the UN has been determined to have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of one of five grounds and those grounds are race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group,” St. Louis immigration lawyer Nicole Cortes said.

But, for refugees aiming to reach the United States, the process isn’t always so black and white. Cortes explained that countries like the US have the ability to set quotas on the numbers of refugees they will permit.

“That being said, the U.S fixes a certain quota or cap on the number of refugees we’re going to take in any given fiscal year and that’s an annual determination,” Cortes said. “The President has a lot of authority over that decision.”

Once a refugee gains admission to the United States, they are afforded a variety of services. Locally, the International Institute of St. Louis is tasked with the responsibility of providing refugees with support.

“They are afforded certain assistance as they settle. Places like the International Institute exist. They’re able to provide folks with some cash assistance as they get settled, it’s pretty limited, housing assistance, job placement services,” Cortes said.

After one year of their residence within the United States, refugees can apply for green card status; after five years, they can apply for United States citizenship. That said, not all refugees have the same desires.

“This is anecdotal or qualitative at best, but I think often refugee populations didn’t necessarily want to leave their homes. Although I’m certain that they’re happy to be here and to be safe, it’s not necessarily what their dream was,” Cortes said. “So I think that there may be some decisions of choosing not to apply for citizenship at this point because maybe I just hope I can go home and not necessarily stay here forever.”