USAsylum / refugee status

US refugee status in the US

Refugee status is protection for a person who is outside the United States and cannot return home because of persecution on grounds of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group. The case is decided by US Citizenship and Immigration Services on a referral into the government refugee admissions programme, rather than on a direct approach by the applicant.

Visa term

Refugee status is indefinite; filing for a green card after 1 year is mandatory

Threshold

No income requirement; travel through IOM (an interest-free loan)

Processing time

Usually 18–36 months and longer

Work

The right to work from arrival (EAD / incident to status)

Source: uscis.gov — refugee admissions programme (USRAP)

Who can obtain refugee status

The application is not made on your own initiative, and not from inside the United States, but on a referral into the government refugee admissions programme.

Meeting the refugee definition

Is outside the United States and cannot, or with good reason will not, return home
Can show persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on grounds of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group
The case is of “special humanitarian concern” to the United States
Is not caught by the mandatory bars to the status
Passes the check on admissibility to the United States
Has not taken part in the persecution of others on the same grounds
Is not yet “firmly resettled” in any third country

How the case is decided

A referral into the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is mandatory — through UNHCR, a US embassy or an authorised organisation
An interview with a specially trained USCIS officer, who assesses the history of persecution and the credibility of the account
The officer takes account of current conditions in the applicant’s country of origin
Mandatory background and security checks and a medical examination
The final decision to admit the person at the border is taken by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
The decision to grant refugee status is discretionary

What it costs

Green card application (Form I-485) for the principal refugee applicant	0 USD
Biometrics for the green card application for the principal refugee applicant	0 USD
Work permission (Form I-765) for a refugee — initial and on renewal	0 USD
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table.	0 USD

Documents to gather

The set is assembled in two rounds: first the material for deciding the refugee case on a USRAP referral, and then, a year after arrival, the green card package.

Application to register permanent residence (the green card form)
A copy of the entry document to the United States bearing the refugee admission endorsement — this evidences the date of admission
Evidence of at least a year of physical presence in the United States since entry as a refugee
Two passport-format photographs
A copy of a government-issued photo identity document
A copy of the birth certificate, if there is one
Copies of the passport pages with the non-immigrant visa and the entry or parole stamp, if applicable
The medical examination and vaccination record report — a refugee usually needs only the vaccination section; a full repeat examination is required only for certain medical conditions
Certified police and court records of arrests, charges or convictions, if applicable
An application for a waiver of the grounds of inadmissibility, if one applies to the case

How the process runs

Since 27 January 2025 the admission of new refugees under USRAP has been suspended by presidential order (Executive Order 14163) — the US Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security may make rare exceptions at their discretion in the interests of national security. Below is how the process works when it is open.

1
Referral into USRAP
You cannot apply for refugee status on your own initiative while abroad — a referral into the US Refugee Admissions Program is needed, through UNHCR, a US embassy or an authorised organisation.
2
Interview with a USCIS officer
A specially trained USCIS officer conducts the interview and assesses the history of persecution, the credibility of the applicant’s account and conditions in their country of origin.
3
Security checks and medical examination
USCIS carries out background and security checks; the applicant undergoes a medical examination.
4
Decision and entry into the United States
The decision to grant the status is discretionary. Where it is positive, the final power to admit the person as a refugee at the border rests with US Customs and Border Protection.
5
Work from the moment of arrival
From the moment of entry a refugee is entitled to work in the United States; the admission endorsement on the entry document already serves as proof of the right to work, and a separate work permit is not mandatory.
6
Mandatory filing for a green card
1 year after entry
After a year of physical presence in the United States a refugee is required to apply for permanent residence. For the principal refugee applicant no fee is charged for that application or for biometrics.

Who you can bring with you

A refugee case includes immediate relatives by default; everyone else needs a separate petition once in the United States.

A lawful spouse

Included in the refugee case if the marriage was entered into before the principal applicant left the country of origin. The validity of the marriage is assessed under the law of the place where it was concluded.

A child — unmarried and under 21

Included in the case if conceived or born before the refugee parent left the country of origin.

Other relatives

In extremely limited cases USCIS may include other family members in the case — this is a rare exception, not the general rule.

A spouse or child who remained abroad

A refugee already admitted files a separate family reunification petition for them — filing that form is free of charge.

Trips, renewal and the grace period

1 year of physical presence for the green card; 5 years for citizenship

Refugee status is not renewed: it has no expiry date. Instead of renewal the law requires a different step — a mandatory green card application after a year of physical presence in the United States. If a refugee wants to travel outside the country while holding the status but before receiving the green card, a refugee travel document must be obtained and biometrics given before departure.

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	US refugee status	Humanitarian parole	TPS — temporary protection
Visa term	Refugee status is indefinite; filing for a green card after 1 year is mandatory	Temporary, usually up to 1 year; re-parole means a new I-131	Temporary; extended in cycles of 6/12/18 months; re-registration is required
Grounds	Persecution	Emergency entry	War or disaster at home
Money	No income requirement; travel through IOM (an interest-free loan)	I-131 fee about $630; usually a sponsor with an I-134	Fee for the I-821 and biometrics (at the USCIS rate)
Work	The right to work from arrival (EAD / incident to status)	Not automatic; an EAD through Form I-765	An EAD through Form I-765; protection from removal for the designation period
Residence	1 year of physical presence for the green card; 5 years for citizenship	Gives physical presence, does not create permanent resident status	Continuous residence/presence from the stated dates

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

A green card is mandatory after 1 year of residence

Route to citizenship

Naturalisation 5 years from the date of entry

Frequently asked questions about US refugee status

Can you apply for refugee status while already in the United States?

No. On the USCIS definition the applicant must be outside the United States to be eligible for refugee status through USRAP. Those already in the United States who fear returning home have a different route — asylum.

Is refugee admission to the United States operating at the moment?

Since 27 January 2025 Executive Order 14163 has been in force, suspending the entry of refugees under USRAP and directing that the processing of refugee applications be suspended. The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security may make exceptions in individual cases at their discretion, where this is in the national interest and creates no security risk.

Does a refugee need to obtain work permission separately?

No, it is not mandatory. A refugee is entitled to work in the United States from arrival; the admission endorsement on the entry document is itself proof of the right to work. Work permission may be obtained for convenience — it is free of charge both initially and on renewal.

When is a refugee required to file for a green card, and how much does it cost?

After a year of physical presence in the United States following admission as a refugee. No fee is charged for the green card application or for biometrics for the refugee themselves (the principal applicant) — unlike derivative applicants, a spouse or child, who pay the standard fee at the current USCIS rate.

From what date does the period for filing for citizenship run for a refugee?

A refugee is treated as a permanent resident from the date of entry into the United States, not from the date the green card was approved — as set out in the USCIS Policy Manual (Volume 12, Part D, Chapter 2). This distinguishes a refugee from, for example, an asylee, for whom the starting point is a date one year before the green card application was approved.

How much does it cost to file a family reunification petition?

USCIS charges no fee for filing Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition — filing is free. The form must be filed within two years of your own admission as a refugee, and the family relationship must have existed before you left your home country.

What should you do if you need to travel outside the United States while holding refugee status?

Before departure you must apply for a refugee travel document and give biometrics. If a person holding refugee status is already abroad, USCIS may at its discretion allow the application for such a document to be made within a year of the last departure from the United States.

Other ways to move to US

Every route in one list — migration programmes: US.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.