[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 43 (Monday, October 31, 2005)]
[Pages 1582-1583]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Presidential Determination on FY 2006 Refugee Admissions Numbers and 
Authorizations of In-Country Refugee Status

October 24, 2005

Presidential Determination No. 2006-03

Memorandum for the Secretary of State

Subject: Presidential Determination on FY 2006 Refugee Admissions 
Numbers and Authorizations of In-Country Refugee Status Pursuant to 
Sections 207 and 101(a)(42), respectively, of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act, and Determination Pursuant to Section 2(b)(2) of the 
Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, as Amended

    In accordance with Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (the ``Act'') (8 U.S.C. 1157), as amended, and after appropriate 
consultations with the Congress, I hereby make the following 
determinations and authorize the following actions:
    The admission of up to 70,000 refugees to the United States during 
FY 2006 is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the 
national interest; provided, however, that this number shall be 
understood as including persons admitted to the United States during FY 
2006 with Federal refugee resettlement assistance under the Amerasian 
immigrant admissions program, as provided below.
    The 70,000 admissions numbers shall be allocated among refugees of 
special humanitarian concern to the United States in accordance with the 
following regional allocations; provided, however, that the number 
allocated to the East Asia region shall include persons admitted to the 
United States during FY 2006 with Federal refugee resettlement 
assistance under section 584 of the Foreign Operations, Export 
Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 1988, as contained 
in section 101(e) of Public Law 100-202 (Amerasian immigrants and their 
family members); provided further that the number

[[Page 1583]]

allocated to the former Soviet Union shall include persons admitted who 
were nationals of the former Soviet Union, or in the case of persons 
having no nationality, who were habitual residents of the former Soviet 
Union, prior to September 2, 1991:

  Africa......................................................    20,000
  East Asia...................................................    15,000
  Europe and Central Asia.....................................    15,000
  Latin America/Caribbean.....................................     5,000
  Near East/South Asia........................................     5,000
  Unallocated Reserve.........................................    10,000
 

    The 10,000 unallocated refugee numbers shall be allocated to 
regional ceilings as needed. Upon providing notification to the 
Judiciary Committees of the Congress, you are hereby authorized to use 
unallocated numbers in regions where the need for additional numbers 
arises.
    Additionally, upon notification to the Judiciary Committees of the 
Congress, you are further authorized to transfer unused admission 
numbers allocated to a particular region to one or more other regions, 
if there is a need for greater numbers for the region or regions to 
which the numbers are being transferred. Consistent with section 2(b)(2) 
of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, as amended, I 
hereby determine that assistance to or on behalf of persons applying for 
admission to the United States as part of the overseas refugee 
admissions program will contribute to the foreign policy interests of 
the United States and designate such persons for this purpose.
    Consistent with section 101(a)(42) of the Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(42)) 
and after appropriate consultation with the Congress, I also specify 
that, for FY 2006, the following persons may, if otherwise qualified, be 
considered refugees for the purpose of admission to the United States 
within their countries of nationality or habitual residence:
a.           Persons in Vietnam
b.           Persons in Cuba
c.           Persons in the former Soviet Union
d.           In exceptional circumstances, persons identified by a 
            United States Embassy in any location
    You are authorized and directed to report this determination to the 
Congress immediately and to publish it in the Federal Register.
                                                George W. Bush

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., October 31, 
2005]

Note: This memorandum will be published in the Federal Register on 
November 1.