Under the Trump administration, the cap on refugee entries was reduced year after year: 45,000 in fiscal year 2018; to 30,000 in fiscal year 2019; and to 18,000 in fiscal year 2020. This was an extreme departure from the 110,000-person cap President Obama set in his last year in office. When President Biden took office, he increased the cap to 125,000 for the fiscal year 2021.
President Biden recently announced that he will maintain the 125,000-person cap on the number of refugees that can enter the U.S. for fiscal year 2022. Although this is positive news for thousands of applicants waiting to get processed to enter the U.S. as refugees, the fact that the Biden administration only processed 20,000 applications last year illuminates the serious need to speed up the processing of said applications. Unless necessary action is taken by Biden administration to do so, Biden’s act of good will to maintain the cap increase will not have the intended consequence of increasing the number of refugee entries.
If you still have questions about the refugee cap or any other immigration matter, contact our attorneys at the Law Offices of Azita M. Mojarad, P.C. Our experienced immigration attorneys can address your concerns and advise you of the proper course of action.