Reference
Glossary
Plain-language definitions of refugee and diplomatic terms used on this site.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Refugee | A person outside their country who cannot return because of persecution, or a well-founded fear of persecution, based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Refugees are approved abroad before they travel. |
| Asylee | A person who meets the refugee definition but asks for protection after reaching the United States or its border. |
| Displaced person | A person uprooted by World War II who could not or would not return home. The term was used in U.S. law in 1948. |
| Parole | Permission to enter the United States temporarily for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, used for Hungarians, Cubans, Indochinese, Afghans, and others. |
| Resettlement | Moving refugees from a first country of asylum to a third country that agrees to admit them permanently. |
| First asylum | The country a refugee first reaches after fleeing, such as Thailand for many refugees from Laos. |
| UNHCR | The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN refugee agency. |
| USRAP | The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. |
| PRM | The Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. |
| Special Immigrant Visa | A visa for Iraqis and Afghans who worked for the U.S. government and faced danger as a result. |
| Foreign Service Officer | A U.S. diplomat in one of five career tracks: consular, economic, management, political, or public diplomacy. |
| Foreign Service Specialist | A Foreign Service member in a technical or support field, such as security, information technology, or office management. |
| Diplomatic Security | The Department's law enforcement and security bureau. Its special agents protect people, information, and facilities. |
| Chief of mission | The head of a U.S. embassy or mission, usually an ambassador. |
| Chargé d'affaires | The diplomat in charge of an embassy when there is no ambassador. |
| Deputy chief of mission | The second-ranking officer at an embassy. |
| Consul general | The head of a U.S. consulate general, an office outside the capital. |
| Rangel Fellowship | A Department-funded fellowship that prepares students for the Foreign Service. |
| Pickering Fellowship | A Department-funded fellowship that prepares students for the Foreign Service. |
| Boat people | Refugees who fled Vietnam and other countries by sea, especially in the late 1970s and 1980s. |
| Lost Boys | Children from southern Sudan separated from their families during the civil war, many of whom walked to camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. |