Nearly 440 Syrian refugees have been resettled in the U.S. — including 15 in Georgia — since the uprising against the Assad regime began in 2011, the U.S. State Department confirmed Tuesday.
And more are coming.
“The United States expects to welcome as many as 1,000 to 2,000 Syrians in 2015 and higher numbers in 2016,” a State Department official said.
The International Rescue Committee has already helped some of these refugees resettle in the Atlanta area.
The federal government provides refugees with funding that partially covers the cost of rent, furniture, food and clothing. Private contributions supplement that funding. Refugees may work in the U.S. And they are required to apply for permanent residency after a year and are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship after five years.
Between March 2011 and April 2014, 191,369 people were killed in Syria, according to an August report commissioned by the United Nations.
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