9 FAM 203.3
Roles and Responsibilities
(CT:VISA-790; 05-16-2019)
(Office of Origin: CA/VO/L/R)
9 FAM 203.3-1 Department of State
(CT:VISA-77; 03-04-2016)
The Department of State develops, coordinates, and manages
U.S. resettlement policy and programs for refugee admission to the United
States.
(1) Bureau of Population, Refugees,
and Migration (PRM): The Department of States Bureau of Population,
Refugees and Migration (PRM) is responsible for developing and coordinating
refugee admissions policies and for management of resettlement programs. (See 1 FAM 520, Bureau
of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), for a complete statement of the
bureaus organization and responsibilities.)
(a) PRM/A Office of Admissions:
The Office of Admissions in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
(PRM/A) develops, implements, manages, and oversees policies and programs for
overseas refugee processing, transportation, and initial domestic reception and
placement. (See 1
FAM 527, Office of Refugee Admissions (PRM/A).)
(i) Overseas Refugee Processing:
Program officers with overseas responsibilities within PRM/A manage and oversee
programs in assigned geographic areas for the selection, processing, and
transportation of refugees to be admitted to the United States. These program
officers also supervise and coordinate closely with operations of Resettlement
Support Centers (RSCs) under cooperative agreement with PRM.
(ii) Domestic Reception and
Placement: Program officers with domestic responsibilities in PRM/A
manage and oversee the domestic reception and placement program. PRM/A
implements the program through cooperative agreements with national
resettlement agencies that maintain networks of affiliates throughout the
United States. These program officers coordinate with the Office of Refugee
Resettlement in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as with coordinators of state
refugee programs and local providers of services to refugees in the United
States.
(b) RPC - Refugee Processing Center:
The Refugee Processing Center (RPC), located in Arlington, Virginia, is the
central data repository for all overseas and domestic resettlement operations.
Under PRM/A, the RPC manages the Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System
(WRAPS). WRAPS is the Department of State database for all refugee applicants
processed for resettlement consideration to the United States. The system
tracks cases and generates reports on case status and worldwide admissions
levels for program managers. The RPC performs security name checks for all
refugee applicants. RPC manages the process of allocating refugee cases to the
domestic resettlement agencies, assigns case and alien numbers, and assists consular
officers in processing Visas 93s.
9 FAM 203.3-2 Overseas Posts
(CT:VISA-790; 05-16-2019)
a. General Post Support:
Diplomatic missions overseas may play a variety of roles in processing refugees
for resettlement to the United States. Missions may assist in processing
individuals identified for resettlement as Visas 92/93, conduct security
reviews of the sites identified for refugee processing, or provide logistical
support to TDY USCIS officers conducting refugee interviews.
b. Embassy Officers Handling of
Refugee and Asylee Cases: While many overseas U.S. missions have an
interest in global humanitarian issues related to refugees, direct mission
responsibility for processing individual cases for refugee resettlement is
limited. Unless the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) has
designated a Regional Refugee Coordinator, embassy officers usually handle only
two types of cases:
(1) Individuals under consideration for referral by an
U.S. embassy under Priority 1 (see 9 FAM 203.4,
Referrals for Refugee Status, for more on Embassy refugee referrals and direct
requests for refuge or asylum at missions overseas); and
(2) V92 and V93 cases (derivative family members who
are beneficiaries of Form I-730 Refugee/Asylee Relative Petitions from refugee
and asylee relatives already in the United States), which are processed by USCIS and/or consular sections at post (see 9 FAM 203.5,
Casework for Follow-to-Join Asylees and Refugees, for guidance on processing
cases for family members of asylees or refugees).
c. Refugee Coordinators:
Refugee coordinators (Refcoords) assigned to selected U.S. embassies overseas
support the activities of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
(PRM), including the Office of Admissions (PRM/A). In the geographic area of
responsibility designated by PRM, the refugee coordinator may refer individuals
for refugee processing or accept referrals of individuals from:
(1) The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR);
(2) U.S. Embassies; and
(3) Certain non-governmental organizations working
with refugees.
d. (U) Designated
Refugee Officers: In countries where the United States regularly
processes refugees for resettlement but a Refcoord is not present, posts
generally designate an officer to handle refugee admissions issues. This Refcoord
maintains liaison with PRM/A, the Refugee Processing Center (RPC), and the
Resettlement Support Center (RSC), as well as the Department of Homeland
Security's U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (DHS/USCIS) officers, UNHCR, and the International
Organization for Migration (IOM).
9 FAM 203.3-3 USCIS, HHS, and Other Entities
(CT:VISA-790; 05-16-2019)
a. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services: The Secretary of Homeland Security has delegated the
authority to determine refugee eligibility and admissibility to the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Under USCIS regulations,
immigration officers must interview every applicant presented for resettlement
and decide if the applicant is eligible to be admitted to the United States as
a refugee. USCIS officers who have received specialized refugee training
conduct refugee adjudications overseas. There is supervisory review of the
decision, but there is no appeal from a denial.
b. HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement:
The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), established
under INA 411, 8 U.S.C. 1521, within the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), funds and administers
programs for resettled refugees through the states and other service
providers. These programs help refugees to achieve economic self-sufficiency,
develop English skills and otherwise integrate into communities in the United
States. ORR is also responsible for safeguarding the welfare of refugee
children who are resettled unaccompanied by a parent or other close adult
relatives, and for services to victims of severe forms of human trafficking.
c. International Organization for
Migration:
(1) The International Organization for Migration (IOM)
provides a wide variety of overseas processing services under a Memorandum of
Understanding with PRM. IOM serves as a Resettlement Support Center (RSC) in
several locations, conducts or oversees medical screening in many locations,
handles transportation arrangements and pre-embarkation inspections for all
refugees traveling to the United States, and administers the Departments
refugee travel loan program.
(2) IOM contact information for the U.S. refugee
program is:
122 East 42nd Street, Suite 1610
New York, New York 10168
Telephone: (212) 681-7000
Fax: (212) 867-5887
Email: onewyork@iom.int
d. Resettlement Support Centers
(Non-Governmental Partners Under Cooperative Agreement):
(1) Resettlement Support Centers (RSC) provide
processing services under the direction of the Bureau of Population, Refugees,
and Migration (PRM). They are operated by non-governmental organizations, the
International Organization for Migration (IOM), and U.S. mission contractors.
(See PRMs website for a current list of RSCs.)
(2) All RSCs have direct electronic links to WRAPS (Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing
System). The RSC maintains refugee files for the State Department.
(3) The RSC screens applicants, prepares cases for
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adjudication, schedules
refugee interviews with USCIS, prepares approved cases for travel, including
medical screening, obtains an assurance from the resettlement agency in the
United States and provides cultural orientation. The RSC coordinates directly
with PRM, the Refugee Processing Center (RPC), USCIS, panel physicians, the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the International
Organization for Migration (IOM), as needed.
(4) RSC Circuit Rides: At
posts where the United States processes fewer refugees, an RSC resident in
another country may send staff to your country to prepare cases and support
temporary duty officers from USCIS. These missions are known as circuit
rides. USCIS will request country
clearance from the post in advance of their visits and inform the post if they
need logistical support.
(5) Processing at Posts without an
RSC: If an Embassy refers an individual for consideration for
resettlement as described in 9 FAM 203.4-2,
U.S. Embassy Referrals to the U.S. Refugee Program, PRMs Office of Admissions
(PRM/A) details an RSC staff member to prepare the case and assist the
adjudicating officer from USCIS. Contact PRM/A for further guidance.