Cairo, 4 November 2016 - The Resettlement Support Center, Middle East and North Africa (RSC MENA) Processing Site in Cairo, operated in Egypt by IOM, has facilitated three refugee focus group discussions with refugees from different nationalities.

The purpose of these discussions – part of Amman-based Regional Refugee Coordinator Gina Kassem's recent visit to Cairo, Egypt – was to provide the refugees with the opportunity to ask questions, receive information, share expectations and concerns about life in the United States if their applications are approved to be resettled through the United States Refugees Admissions Program (USRAP).

In a response to the rapidly growing number of resettlement applications, the RSC MENA has increased its staffing and resources in Egypt to resettle the targeted number of refugees to the United States.

Kassem explained that the USRAP was expanding. “The United States admitted 85,000 refugees in the fiscal year 2016, of which over 10,500 Syrians have departed from MENA region to start new lives in the United States. A further 110,000 refugees are expected to be resettled during the US fiscal year 2017. The US government is dedicating more resources to make sure we meet the targeted number of departures for this year, and to do so in as efficient manner as possible,” she said.

“IOM welcomes the expansion of the USRAP program as it contributes to alleviating the pressures on the Egyptian authorities who are faced with numerous issues pertaining to preventing and combatting irregular migration, as well as identifying durable solutions to migrants and refugees,” said Amr Taha, IOM Egypt Head of Office.

So far this year, IOM has resettled 2,022 individuals from Egypt to the US – an increase of around 30 percent compared to the same period last year. The top five resettled nationalities are Syrians, Sudanese, Somalis, Ethiopians and Eritreans.

For more information about the Program, please visit this website. 

For further information, please contact the RSC Information Center Email: ic@iom.int.