Refugees are displaced people seeking refuge in foreign countries. There are many reasons why a person might become displaced or choose to leave their country of origin, some common causes being war, persecution (related to religion, politics, and/or ethnicity for example), threat of personal violence, and natural disasters. A person may seek a referral for refugee status in the United States only while outside of the United States.
Asylum seekers, or asylees, meet the definition of refugees, and are already inside, or are at a port of entry to, the country from which they seek asylum status.
Infographic from Human Rights First
