207 EAST TALLMADGE AVE ● AKRON, OH 44310-3298 ● TEL 330-376-5106 ● FAX 330-376-0133 ● E-MAIL iiakron@lek.net
Refugee Resettlement
The International Institute of Akron serves as the primary refugee resettlement agency in Summit County in Northeast Ohio. For more than 20 years, the Refugee Resettlement Department has resettled thousands of refugees from different regions of the world. We are an affiliate of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.
The Refugee Resettlement Department administers the following programs:
The Refugee Resettlement staff also assist asylum-approved individuals, secondary migrants and we provide group and social adjustment activities for refugees.
Our services are provided with the help of community Volunteers.
Section 101(a)(42)of the INA defines REFUGEE as:
Any person who is outside any country of such person's nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion; or in such circumstances as the President after appropriate consultation (as defined in Section 207 (E) of this Act) may specify, any person who is within the country of such person's nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, within the country in which such person is habitually residing, and who is persecuted or who has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.
The term 'refugee' does not include any person who ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
Refugee vs. Asylee - location at the time of the application.
Applicants for refugee admission are outside the territory of the US at the time of application while applicants for asylum are inside the US or at a US land border or port of entry. Both refugee and asylee must meet the definition of a refugee in order to be approved for the requested status.
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