Yes, there is a limit to the number of refugees that may be admitted to the United States in any given year. The quota limits are set each year by the President of the United States and they will vary each year from country to country. The President is also the person who decides how many refugees from each country will be admitted but the United States government makes no guarantee the those numbers of refugees will actually be admitted. In fact, far smaller numbers of refugees, almost half of the number allocated for admissions, are actually admitted into the United States. Applications are received and approved on a first come-first served basis. Many qualified refugees will end up on a waiting list. Refugees apply from certain countries in large numbers in certain years while applications for refugee status are almost none from other countries in some years. Refugee applications can take almost a year to process, there are some exceptions to that rule, but most applications will take many months at minimum.
| Yearly Limit Allocation | 2009 | 2010 |
| East Asia
| 19,000 | 17,000 |
| Europe and Central Asia
| 2,500 | 2,500 |
| Latin America/ Caribbean
| 4,500 | 5,000 |
|
Near East/South East Asia
| 37,000 | 35,000 |
| Unallocated Reserve
| 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Africa
| 12,000 | 15,500 |
Of the unallocated reserve limitations 2,500 admissions from that reserve were given to the Near East/South Asia category, 1,500 will go to the East Asia limits, and 1,000 go to the Latin America/Caribbean category because refugees arriving from those categories are expected to exceed the original projected ceilings.
General Eligibility Requirements for Refugee Status
To qualify as a refugee or asylee a person must be able to prove that he has been experiencing persecution in his homeland for approximately one year or more and that he has a genuine reason to fear that the persecution will continue. The persecution must also function to limit the individual’s freedom. The persecution must be home country wide and not something that could be avoided by simply moving and settling in another part of the home country.
Getting Legal Help
If you or a member of your family has suffered persecution in your homeland and you wish to apply for refugee status in order to enter the United States it would be helpful to discuss your circumstances with an immigration lawyer. An attorney can help to provide guidance on the refugee application process and assist with completing the necessary forms, collecting the required documents and directing the application package to the correct authorities for review.
