Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2016

This determination sets the annual refugee admissions ceiling at 85,000 for Fiscal Year 2016, with specific regional allocations including 34,000 for Near East/South Asia and 25,000 for Africa. It also designates certain in-country populations (Cuba, Eurasia/Baltics, Iraq, Honduras/Guatemala/El Salvador, and exceptional embassy-identified cases) as eligible for refugee status processing.

Federal Register Open PDF 80 FR 62433

Impact dates

Oct 1, 2015
FY 2016 refugee admissions program begins

Key directives

Set FY 2016 refugee admissions ceiling at 85,000
Allocate 25,000 to Africa, 13,000 to East Asia, 4,000 to Europe/Central Asia, 3,000 to Latin America/Caribbean, 34,000 to Near East/South Asia, 6,000 unallocated reserve
Authorize Secretary of State to allocate unallocated reserve with congressional notification
Authorize Secretary of State to transfer unused regional allocations with congressional notification
Designate in-country refugee processing eligibility for Cuba, Eurasia/Baltics, Iraq, Honduras/Guatemala/El Salvador, and exceptional embassy cases
Direct publication in Federal Register

Who is ordered

Secretary of State · Department of State

Timeline

Immediate

FY 2016 refugee admissions ceiling of 85,000 takes effect October 1, 2015

Near term (90d)

Regional allocations begin processing for FY 2016

Long term

Sets precedent for in-country refugee processing designations in Latin America

Risks & tensions

85,000 ceiling represented significant increase from prior years, potentially contentious with Congress
In-country processing designations for Central America (Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador) were novel and politically sensitive
Regional transfer authority with only committee notification may raise separation of powers concerns