Publications

POLICY REPORT: Families in Limbo: What the Biden Administration Can Do Now to Address Unreasonable Delays in Refugee and Asylee Family Reunification (March 9, 2021)

  • outlines how the “Follow-to-Join” process has been hampered by actions taken by the Trump Administration and how the Biden Administration can improve the process
  • primary cited documents available in Appendix B

 

Refugee Reset Report thumbnailPOLICY REPORT: Refugee Reset: Mid-Year Increases to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Target (January 28, 2021)

  • discusses the Presidential authority to increase the number of refugees to be admitted to the United States during the fiscal year
  • primary cited documents available in Appendix 1

 

POLICY REPORT: Expanding Complementary Pathways for Refugees and Displaced Persons: A Blueprint for the U.S. Government (November 2020)

  • outlines the multiple ways in which the incoming administration could address hurdles in existing pathways, as well as expand and pilot new programs, to bring displaced people to safety

 

POLICY REPORT: Debunking “Extreme Vetting”: Recommendations to Build Back the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (October 2020)

  • outlines the harm caused by “extreme vetting” and makes key recommendations for reforming the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program
  • data stems from documentation IRAP and others obtained in discovery in litigation challenging anti-refugee policies and procedures

 

POLICY REPORT: Recommendations on the Reform of the Special Immigrant Visa Program for U.S. Wartime Partners (June 2020)

  • outlines key recommendations for improving the Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) programs

 

 

WHITE PAPER: Recommendations for the President to Restore and Improve Protection for Refugees and Displaced People (September 2019)

  • makes recommendations for the Presidential administration that takes or remains in office in January 2021

Private Sponsorship White Paper - cover pageWHITE PAPER: Models of Private Sponsorship (July 2018)

  • outlines past and present private sponsorship programs and how the private sector can create alternative & complementary pathways or expand resettlement for refugees

Thumbnail2 POLICY REPORT: Fifteen Years On: Protecting Iraqi Wartime Partners (March 2018)

  • outlines key recommendations for improving legal avenues to safety for Iraqi allies, in particular the Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program and the Direct Access Program (DAP)

Thumbnail1 POLICY REPORT: A Question of Honor – The Ongoing Importance of the Afghan SIV Program (March 2017)

  • a policy report on the ongoing importance of the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program, in response to the suspension of visa interviews in March 2017

Thumbnail3ARTICLE: The Importance of Legal Counsel (Forced Migration Review, February 2017)

  • IRAP’s Policy Director, Betsy Fisher, summarizes the benefits of the presence of counsel in the resettlement process

 

Thumbnail2 WHITE PAPER: Private Sponsorship of Refugee Resettlement in the United States: Guiding Principles and Recommendations (October 2016)

  • outlines the key principles for designing and implementing a pilot program for private sponsorship in the United States
  • drafted in collaboration with Human Rights First