refugee, any uprooted, homeless, involuntary migrant who has crossed a frontier and no longer possesses the protection of his or her former government. Prior to the 19th century the movement from one country to another did not require passports and visas; the right to asylum was commonly recognized and honoured. A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country or home, usually because of war, politics, religion or social reasons. Learn how to use the word refugee in different contexts, with pictures, pronunciation and collocations. What is the definition of a refugee under international law? Refugees are people forced to flee their home countries because of persecution, conflict, violence, or other circumstances that place them in need of international protection. Under international law, anyone who meets these criteria is a refugee, although a host country may require asylum seekers to establish a well-founded fear of danger before formally granting them refugee status. The 1951 Refugee Convention outlines refugees ... The refugee definition answers the question "who is a refugee" and is the basis for determining refugee status. The definition applies to individuals as well as groups of persons. Being a refugee entitles the person to a number of (refugee) rights, including the right not to be sent back to the country of origin (principle of non-refoulement).
