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N.Koreans, Burmese Refugees to Get Priority in U.S.

The U.S. government has added North Korea and Burma to the list of nations covered by "Priority 3," meaning that nationals from those countries with family members in the United States would be given priority screening when immigration determines whether to accept them as refugees. The U.S. government recently revealed this in a plan on refugee acceptance in the 2006 fiscal year recently submitted to the U.S. Congress in accordance with the U.S. immigration and nationality law.
In order for North Koreans to apply for refugee status to the United States, they must be recognized as refugees by the UNHCR, U.S. embassies abroad or NGOs. Defectors already resettled in third countries like South Korea are excluded from possible refugee status.