Refugees

Refugees are people who are forced to flee their country by persecution, war, natural disaster, or some other crisis. Economic migrants, who cross borders to improve their standard of living or find jobs, are generally not considered refugees.

Under the 1951 United Nations (UN) Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, nations are required to admit refugees and not to return them to their home countries as long as conditions are unsafe. People who claim refugee status but have not been officially confirmed as refugees are called asylum seekers. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the UN agency that works to protect and resettle refugees.

People who are forced from their home by the same factors as...