How does a refugee begin the process to come to the United States?
Access to the U.S. Resettlement Program for refugee applicants will vary among countries. Much refugee processing is conducted in locations where the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has established posts for this purpose or in locations where CIS does not have a presence but currently conducts circuit rides. In general, if a post is approached by a third country national seeking admission to the U.S. as a refugee, the post should advise the person, as appropriate, to present himself/herself to the host government and/or to the local UNHCR office (or to the local U.N. Development Program office if there is no UNHCR presence) for protection and determination of refugee status.
