Eligibility Criteria

The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) helps people who are of Afrikaner ethnicity or a member of a racial minority in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination.

To be considered for resettlement, applicants must:

• Must be of South African nationality; and
• Must be of Afrikaner ethnicity or be a member of a racial minority in South Africa;
• Must be able to articulate a past experience of persecution or fear of future persecution; and
• Must be at least 18 years old or are being referred with a parent, as defined by the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(b)(2))

For official U.S. guidance on eligibility, please see the U.S. Embassy in South Africa’s page: Here

Important: This Is Not a Standard Immigration Process

You are not applying for a job, visa, or university placement.

This is a humanitarian protection and resettlement process.

Once accepted, you may receive assistance to start a new life in the U.S. under refugee status.

What Is Persecution?

Persecution means being hurt, threatened, or treated unfairly because of who you are. This includes your:

• Ethnicity (for example, being white in South Africa)
• Religion
• Political beliefs
• Membership in a particular social group

You do not need to have been physically attacked.

Persecution can also include:

• Being excluded from employment opportunities
• Being denied access to education or public services
• Being targeted by discriminatory laws or government policies
• Facing serious threats of violence
• Facing social or institutional discrimination

Race-Based Legal Discrimination in South Africa

In South Africa, over 140 laws and policies currently exist that exclude or disadvantage people based on skin colour. This legalised racial discrimination contributes to ongoing systemic harm and is part of the persecution that many minorities face today.

For further examples of legal and policy-based racial exclusion currently affecting white South Africans, click here to read “The Cumulative Impact of Racial Exclusion” (PDF).