Estimates of the numbers of North Koreans outside of North Korea have varied widely over the past decade, according to NGOs and scholars. Estimates have ranged from 6,000 to over 300,000, depending on the source of the data and the time period in which the data were collected. Scholars and NGOs said that a number of factors can contribute to the variance in the estimates, including the following: Some countries in the region limit access to the North Korean population, thereby preventing NGOs, international organizations, and scholars from collecting comprehensive data. The UNHCR, the UN agency dedicated to the protection of refugees, has little access to North Korean refugees, according to UNHCR officials. Methodological variances among NGOs and scholars in accounting for the numbers of North Korean refugees. In part because methodologies are not readily shared among those who collect data, estimates on the higher side could include North Koreans on the border who have been double- counted because of the two-way flow of migration across the border for economic purposes of finding work, according to scholars. Conversely, scholars also said that some estimates might not include those North Koreans who transit through the region fairly quickly on their way to third countries for resettlement (see fig. 1). Difficulty obtaining comprehensive information on the estimates. Scholars told us that because of the political sensitivities surrounding the North Korean population outside of North Korea, those collecting data on the population are hesitant to share their data for fear they will reveal their sources or compromise their operations in country. One scholar stated that it would be helpful if information on estimates of North Koreans in the region could be shared among those collecting the data so that methodological approaches could be critiqued. NGOs and scholars told us that, within the last couple of years, the flow of North Koreans out of North Korea has slowed due to the tightening of the border and stricter scrutiny of North Korean migrants. One recent estimate noted that the current number of North Koreans in the region might be between 6,000 and 16,000 at any given time. Despite the tightening of the borders, NGOs and scholars pointed out that North Koreans are still transiting through Asia to seek resettlement in other countries. According to NGOs and South Korean officials, the composition of North Koreans who have resettled in South Korea has changed over the past decade. While the ratio of male and female North Koreans arriving in South Korea in the early 2000s was closer to equal, South Korean data show that the number of female refugees has steadily increased, with 77 percent of the total number of refugees entering South Korea for resettlement being female in 2009. In addition, some of the more recent North Korean arrivals tend to be family members of those North Koreans who are already in South Korea. South Korean data indicate that 75 percent of North Koreans who arrived in South Korea recently range in age from 20 years to 40 years. The USRAP processes refugee applications for resettlement in the United States through an interagency effort involving a number of governmental and nongovernmental entities overseas and in the United States. Table 1 provides a description of these entities and their role in the USRAP process. USRAP’s steps for processing North Korean refugees who have arrived in the United States for U.S. resettlement are shown in figure 2. We provide further explanation of certain steps in the USRAP process below. Case creation. North Koreans generally request consideration as refugees from a U.S. embassy or from UNHCR. Under the USRAP, a U.S. embassy submits a P-1 referral to State/PRM in Washington, D.C., and the DHS/USCIS Refugee Affairs Division in Washington, D.C., and they must concur in the granting of the USRAP access to the refugee applicant. After this concurrence, State requests or authorizes the OPE to create the case in the State’s WRAPS database. At this point, the refugee applicant begins the process for consideration for admission to the USRAP. Security checks. Once the OPE prescreening interview is completed, the OPE requests that U.S. government agencies conduct the required security checks. DHS approval. After the prescreening interview and usually after the security checks have been cleared, DHS/USCIS officers interview the refugee applicants and make a recommendation of either “approve,” “hold,” or “deny” for the case. The USCIS District Director or Deputy District Director must then review and agree with all recommendations before the case decision can be finalized. DHS/USCIS will not finalize approval for a case until all security checks have cleared. Once required security checks and medical screening are complete, and DHS/USCIS has determined that the refugee applicant is eligible for resettlement to the United States, the OPE confirms the resettlement location. Exit permission. After the United States has approved the refugee for resettlement and after the individual is ready to travel, the U.S. embassy or UNHCR requests exit permission from the government of the country where the refugee is being processed. According to U.S. officials involved in the processing of these cases, the exit permission process often entails ongoing communications with that government and can take several months. Arrival in the United States. Upon arrival in the United States, U.S. resettlement agencies and HHS provide eligible refugees with services and assistance, as noted in table 1. The USRAP opened cases for 238 North Korean refugee applicants from fiscal years 2005 to 2010, as of March 29, 2010. During this time period, the U.S. government, particularly State, took actions to facilitate the processing of North Korean refugees. However, the policies of some host countries affect U.S. processing times for North Korean refugees. From fiscal years 2006 to 2008, the most current year for which complete data were available, U.S. processing times did not improve. In addition, while processing times for North Koreans were lower in fiscal year 2006 than those of some other refugee populations, processing times were generally comparable in fiscal year 2008. The USRAP processed a total of 238 North Korean refugee applicant cases from fiscal years 2005 to 2010, as of March 29, 2010. During this time period, 94 of these individuals arrived in the United States, 107 withdrew their applications, 18 were rejected or denied, and 5 individual cases were closed. In addition, 14 individuals were pending, including 9 that were on hold awaiting medical or other clearances. Figure 3 shows the status of North Korean refugee cases. According to State, many North Koreans withdrew their applications when they realized that (1) they would be found ineligible for consideration because they had already been firmly resettled in South Korea or (2) resettlement in South Korea was faster and entailed fewer requirements than U.S. resettlement. All of the pending cases were created in fiscal years 2009 or 2010. These include active cases, some of which are awaiting exit permission, as well as cases that were put on hold. Cases may be on hold because they are awaiting medical clearance or clearance for other required security checks. According to U.S. and IOM officials, some North Korean applicants were required to complete medical treatment for tuberculosis, for which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires 6 to 9 months of treatment before the U.S. government grants medical clearance and permission to travel to the United States. The U.S. government, particularly State, has taken actions to facilitate the U.S. resettlement process for North Korean refugees by placing a high priority on North Korean cases and providing additional resources to process these cases. In response to the NKHRA, the U.S. government places a high priority on the overseas processing of North Korean refugee cases, specifically the processing stages involving OPE prescreening, security checks, DHS/USCIS interviews, and U.S. resettlement agencies. OPE prescreening. State has directed the OPE to prioritize the prescreening interviews of all North Korean cases at the start of the process. To do so, the OPE schedules and conducts the prescreening interview for North Korean cases before all other refugee cases on its list, according to OPE officials. Security checks. State has prioritized the security checks for some North Korean cases. State/PRM told us they usually expedite the security checks for some North Korean cases that have been pending for more than 2 or 3 months. Conducting and clearing security checks involve a number of federal agencies, and this stage in USRAP can create delays in U.S. processing times, according to U.S. officials. DHS/USCIS interviews. State and DHS/USCIS prioritize North Korean cases by scheduling USCIS adjudication interviews with them before other refugee cases. According to DHS/USCIS officials, doing so can save a month or more in overall processing time. In addition, to expedite some North Korean cases that are urgent or of humanitarian concern, DHS/USCIS may conduct interviews before the security checks are cleared, whereas the standard protocol for most refugee populations is to conduct the USCIS interview afterwards. U.S. resettlement agencies’ assurance. A final part of the process that State has prioritized is finding and confirming the resettlement location and resettlement agency support for North Korean refugees who will soon arrive in the United States. For North Korean cases, State/PRM requests that U.S. resettlement agencies confirm the location and support upon arrival within 1 week, whereas this confirmation can take up to 4 weeks for other refugee populations, according to State/PRM. The U.S. government provides additional resources to process North Korean refugee applicant cases.