WHO IS A REFUGEE?
What You Need To Know
Imagine being forced to flee your country due to fear of being tormented
or even killed for who you are or what you believe in. You must leave the place that you have always called home, the family and friends that you love, your job and all familiar surroundings. This is the story for many refugees who are resettled by Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas
each year.
A refugee is defined as a person that has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion
or membership in a particular social group. Because of this strife, a refugee requests protection and must be given permission to enter the U.S. Most refugees cannot return home or are afraid to do so because of war and ethnic, tribal or religious violence.
HOW DOES A REFUGEE END UP IN KANSAS?
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his/her home country.
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come from one of three possible solutions:
- The refugee must return to the home country once the homeland
is deemed safe. - The refugee must settle into the country to which they have fled.
- The refugee must resettle permanently into a third country (only about 1% of the world’s refugees do this).
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UNHCR legal staff conduct an initial interview to determine that the refugee has a valid, well-founded fear of persecution. The UNHCR then forwards the refugee’s name to the U.S. Embassy. An Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) begins a file on the case and forwards their information (family, medical and background) to the U.S. Embassy.
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Interview
- 5
Approval, Assurances and United States Reception
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The First Six Months
Adjusting to Life in the U.S.
Resettlement agencies like Catholic Charities will help a refugee settle into life in his/her new country.
The services we offer include:
- Housing securement
- Medical screenings and immunizations arrangement
- Enrollment in school
- Help obtaining necessary paperwork
- Classroom instruction about life and culture in the U.S.
- Connections with employment services
- Assistance with applying for appropriate public benefits
- Case management services
Resettlement agencies like Catholic Charities will help a refugee settle into life in his/her new country.
Within 1-5 years a refugee should:
- Be settled into a job that provides financial security, or utilize our agency for job upgrade services
- Establish a new community and need less support from our agency
- Pay back the travel loan from his/her initial flight to the U.S.
- Apply for citizenship at 5 years
Fast Facts
Did You Know?
- Our agency is one of the largest of six resettlement sites throughout the state, and the majority of the families we serve live in Johnson and Wyandotte counties.
- One of the many refugee groups that we serve flee from Burma located in Southeast Asia. Ethnic groups represented include Chin, Karen and the Karenni.
- We serve refugees from all around the world, including those from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, Syria and Ukraine.
- There are many volunteer opportunities within our Refugee & Immigration Services department including, welcoming refugees; assisting with move-in and housing set-up; teaching or tutoring English, Cultural Orientation or Citizenship courses; providing support to refugee farmers and more!
