REFUGEES AND ASYLEES

If you have been a refugee or held asylum status for at least one year, you may be eligible to change your status to that of a permanent resident..

The Refugee Program provides protection to refugees by bringing them to the United States for resettlement. A refugee is defined as any person who is outside any country of such person's nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

Asylum is a form of protection that allows individuals who are in the United States to remain here, provided that they meet the definition of a refugee and are not barred from either applying for or being granted asylum, and eventually to adjust their status to lawful permanent resident. In both situations deriviatve petitions are available to spouses and children.