Who determines refugee status?
UNHCR interviews those who believe they are refugees to decide whether they qualify for UNHCR protection and to determine whether the permanent solution in their case is resettlement in a third country such as the United States. If a refugee is referred by UNHCR for resettlement in the U.S. or if a refugee appears to be eligible on other grounds listed, he/she will be interviewed by an officer of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) who will decide whether a person qualifies as a refugee under U.S. law, and thus is eligible for resettlement. UNHCR and INS need to understand the situation clearly in order to make such a decision, so it is especially important that people give them as much detail about why they left their countries. This information is held in the strictest confidence.
