United States Humanitarian Assistance for Displaced Iraqis

U.S. GOVERNMENT Funding for Humanitarian Assistance – 2007

(in millions)

USG	IOs	NGOs	Othera	Total
STATE/PRM	$ 99.26	$18.55	$ 5.00	$122.81
USAID/OFDA	$ 06.00	$ 57.40	$ --	$ 63.40
USAID/FFP	$ 00.65	$ --	$ --	$ 00.65
USAID/Jordan	$ --	$ --	$ 10.30	$ 10.30
TOTAL	$105.91	$ 75.95	$ 15.30	$197.16

^aState Department/Near Eastern Affairs Bureau supplement to the Department Scholar Rescue fund grant; USAID support to Jordanian government to reinforce ongoing health and education programs in communities affected by large numbers of Iraqi refugees

Refugee Processing for Iraqis

• Since February 2007, the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) expanded processing for Iraqi refugee applicants in Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Lebanon.
• UNHCR announced its intention in February to refer approximately 20,000 Iraqis to resettlement countries during calendar year 2007, with over half that number to the USRAP. In February, the U.S. Government had virtually no refugee processing infrastructure in the two major asylum countries, Syria and Jordan. Since then, USRAP entities have established processing facilities, hired and trained local and international staff, and prepared cases for presentation to adjudicators from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
• UNHCR and U.S. embassies have referred more than 13,000 Iraqis to the USRAP for resettlement consideration. Additionally, in Jordan and Egypt, direct access to the USRAP is available to direct-hire employees of the U.S. Mission in Iraq and interpreters/ translators working for the U.S. Government or U.S. Government contractors.
• The Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS/USCIS) completed interviews of approximately 4,500 Iraqis during FY 2007. Interviews are continuing at an accelerated pace in FY 2008, with the cooperation and support of host governments.
• During FY 2007, 1,608 Iraqi refugees arrived in the U.S. for permanent resettlement.
• The total number of Iraqi refugee arrivals in FY 2007 represents an eight-fold increase over the number of arrivals in FY 2006.
• With necessary USRAP facilities and personnel now in place, we expect that the number of Iraqis admitted to the United States as refugees should increase significantly.
• The U.S. Government is aiming to admit as many as 12,000 Iraqi refugees over the next fiscal year between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2008 (FY08). As we have noted earlier, the number of arrivals each month will fluctuate.
• In October 2007, the first month of FY08, 450 Iraqi refugees arrived in the United States.

Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) and Immigrant Visas (IVs) for Iraqis

• Apart from these refugee admissions numbers, in FY 2007 the United States issued immigrant visas for more than 2,300 additional Iraqis.
• 821 of these were special immigrant visas through our special admissions program for translator and interpreters who assisted the United States. This number includes 429 principal applicants and 392 family members.
• The other 1,520-plus Iraqis were issued other types of immigrant visas that permit them to move permanently to the United States.

2007/986