PUBLIC LAW 107-228—SEPT. 30, 2002 116 STAT. 1375 including the extent to which the Department now insists on referral by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as a prerequisite to consideration of such refugees for resettlement in the United States, together with a plan for the expanded use of alternatives to such referral, including the use of field-based nongovernmental organizations to identify refugees in urgent need of resettlement. (2) The extent to which the Department makes use in overseas refugee processing of the designation of groups of refugees who are of special concern to the United States, together with the reasons for any decline in such use over the last 10 years and a plan for making more generous use of such categories in the future. (3) The extent to which the United States currently provides opportunities for resettlement in the United States of individuals who are close family members of citizens or lawful residents of the United States, together with the reasons for any decline in the extent of such provision over the last 10 years and a plan for expansion of such opportunities in the future. (4) The extent to which opportunities for resettlement in the United States are currently provided to "urban refugees" and others who do not currently reside in refugee camps, together with a plan for increasing such opportunities, particularly for refugees who are in urgent need of resettlement, who are members of refugee groups of special interest to the United States, or who are close family members of United States citizens or lawful residents. (5) The Department's assessment of the feasibility and desirability of modifying the Department's current list of ref- ugee priorities to create an additional category for refugees whose need for resettlement is based on a long period of residence in a refugee camp with no immediate prospect of safe and voluntary repatriation to their country of origin or last permanent residence. (6) The extent to which the Department uses private voluntary agencies to assist in the identification of refugees for admission to the United States, including the Department's assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of private voluntary agencies, the reasons for any decline in the Department's use of voluntary agencies over the last 10 years, and a plan for the expanded use of such agencies. (7) The extent to which the per capita reception and placement grant to voluntary agencies assisting in resettlement of refugees has increased over the last 10 years commensurate with the cost to such agencies of providing such services. (8) An estimate of the cost of each change in current practice or procedure discussed in the report, together with an estimate of any increase in the annual refugee admissions ceiling that would be necessary to implement each change.
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