Defining Terms
An immigrant is a person who moves to another country, often permanently, for reasons like work, family, or better living conditions. Immigrants go through a legal process to live and work in their new country and are not necessarily fleeing danger or persecution.
A refugee is forced to leave their home country due to persecution, war, or violence with an allowance of entry into a receiving country. They cannot return home safely because of threats based on their race, religion, political opinions, or belonging to a specific group. Refugees are granted protection under international law, such as the 1951 Refugee Convention, and typically are resettled in a safe country. **For the 2024 fiscal year, the United States government has set a ceiling of 125,000 refugee admissions (Global Trends Report 2023). As of late 2024, the United States has admitted 100,034 refugees in the fiscal year, marking the highest level of admissions in three decades (Mid-Year Trends Report 2024).
As of mid-2024, there are approximately 43.4 million refugees globally. This includes 31.6 million under the mandate of the UNHCR, 6 million Palestinian refugees covered by UNRWA, and 5.8 million other individuals in need of international protection. Additionally, 6.9 million people are classified as asylum seekers.
Overall, more than 122 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced, encompassing refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons due to conflict, persecution, and other crises (Key Indicators and Refugee Hosting Data).
For more terms, and a PDF version of the above click the button below.