Refugee and Migrant Resettlement

IOM Turkey is handling the resettlement of refugees and migrants to the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe with the support of a number of donors including the US State Department, Canadian Immigration Services and the Australian Government.

Currently operational in over 40 countries, the US Refugee Admission Program (USRAP) funded by the Department of State through the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) is one of the largest continuous activities in which the IOM is involved.  In Turkey, IOM Turkey runs regular USRAP movements to the United States in close cooperation with the Turkish Government authorities, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC).

IOM Turkey has also provided assistance since 1991 to refugees accepted under the Canada Refugees Bound Program, as well as family reunification cases.  IOM Turkey is working closely with the Canadian Embassy in Ankara to ensure smooth processing of migrants resettled to their new Canadian communities.

On behalf of the Government of Australia, IOM facilitates medical screening to make sure that Refugees and Special Humanitarian Entrants to Australia are fit to travel. Migrants destined for Australia also participate in the Australian Cultural Orientation (AUSCO) program.

In addition to the foregoing country-specific programs, IOM Turkey and the IOM facilitate resettlement of refugees to and family reunifications in “Other European Countries”, which include: Finland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Norway, and Ireland*.  In concert and coordination with UNHCR and the respective other European Countries, asylum-seekers identified as refugees by UNHCR are resettled in and to such countries with the assistance of the IOM receiving missions.

In the case of stranded migrants or rejected asylum seekers, a project known as ‘Humanitarian Assistance to Stranded Migrants’ functions to facilitate the assisted voluntary return of stranded migrants and rejected asylum seekers to their respective countries of origin or, alternatively, to safe haven in non-neighboring countries. This project particularly targets vulnerable groups and gives priority to women and children. Under this program, IOM Turkey is also assisting in the establishment of efficient and humane return mechanisms.  IOM Turkey supports NGOs, other international humanitarian organizations and the Government of Turkey in seeking to establish and maintain a sustainable system for enabling the voluntary return of stranded and irregular migrants and rejected asylum seekers.

Resettlement to the United States

The US Refugee Admission Program (USRAP) is one of the largest continuous activities of IOM Turkey.  This program targets Iraqi and Iranian refugees as well as refugees of other nationalities currently present in Turkey and under temporary humanitarian protection. For example, since February 2007, when the Iraqi refugee resettlement program was firs implemented, IOM Turkey and its partners have assisted 6,034 Iraqi refugees to resettle in the USA.  Between early 2007 and the end of 2009, total resettlement under USRAP moved 9,884 refugees to the USA, including those of Iranian, Afghani and Somali nationalities – a significant number migrants successfully assisted. This significant humanitarian effort over the past two years was made possible thanks to the excellent coordination among the main players in Turkey (IOM, UNHCR and ICMC) and the assistance of the operations staff based in Ankara and Istanbul offices.  As a proximate result of the positive impact of this program in 2007-2009, the U.S. Government has pledged to admit some 4000 refugees to the USA during Fiscal Year 2010.

Resettlement to Canada

The objective of this program is providing resettlement assistance to foreign citizens currently residing in Turkey, registered with UNHCR and approved for resettlement by the Embassy of Canada in Ankara. IOM Turkey implements this program in cooperation with UNHCR, the Canadian Embassy in Ankara and Turkish Authorities. IOM Turkey provides assistance to refugees accepted under the Canada Refugees bound program as well as family reunification cases since 1991. IOM Turkey is working closely with the Canadian Embassy in Ankara to ensure smooth processing of the migrants resettled to their new community. In 2009 IOM Turkey assisted 500 passengers with resettlement to Canada from various nationalities such as Iranians, Iraqi, Somali, Afghani and smaller numbers of other nationalities.

*Finland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Netherlands, Norway and Ireland.

CT: Counter-Trafficking return movements
AVR: Assisted and Voluntary Return