Refugees Or Asylees?
I know quite a few people from the former Soviet Union who have immigrated to the United States within the last ten years due to religeous or political persecution. Most of them received the refugee status before they left their home countries. A few of them filed for an immigrant status while being already in the US. They were granted an asylum. The asylees often have a more difficult time obtaining their status because they are already in the US and may not have access to the documents to support their fear of persecution upon returning to their home country. Almost all of them had to hire an experienced immigration attorney to help them with their case.
