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US TO ACCEPT UP 20,000 KOSOVAR REFUGEES
The United States has agreed to accept 20,000 Kosovar refugees and will begin admitting them to the US almost immediately. Under the White House plan, the first priority would be to resettle Kosovars in refugee camps in Macedonia who have family in the United States or whose lives are at risk because of health problems. 
Though the Clinton Administration officially is stating that it hopes Kosovars will return to their homeland after the hostilities end, many believe such a return is unrealistic. That may be because the Kosovars will be granted complete refugee status and will have the right to remain in the United States if they choose. As legal refugees, the US-bound Kosovars would be entitled to housing, job-assistance and health benefits. Welfare would also be accessible for needy refugees. After a year, the refugees would be entitled to apply for permanent residence if the situation in Kosovo has not changed significantly for the better.
Originally, the government was planning to transport tens of thousands of the refugees to the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. President Clinton, however, was persuaded against sending the refugees to the prison-like camp at the base.
The Macedonian camps were chosen first because the government of that country has indicated that they will not continue accepting refugees. The camps there are already at three times capacity and the Administration’s priority is to move out refugees to the US to make room for others in the camps. Also, the Macedonian population is generally hostile to the refugees and the government of that country has already been accused of harassing the refugees.
More than 17,000 refugees in Macedonia have already been resettled, the majority in Germany. Others have been settled in a variety of other countries.
In the mean time, the State Department and US refugee organizations are already gearing up for the influx. The State Department has set up a hotline. The State Department has created a new form for American relatives to begin the process of sponsoring their refugee family members. That form can be downloaded off the US Committee for Refugees web site at http://www.refugees.org/news/crisis/kosovo_sp.htm. Eligible relatives must be able to show they are a permanent resident or citizen, and they should try to provide information on the whereabouts of the relative (the relative must be outside Yugoslavia at this point). 
Once the form is completed, it should be taken to a volunteer agency in the relative’s community. The State Department has set up a hotline relatives can call to find the names of local volunteer agencies. That number is (800) 727-4420. Persons interested in providing volunteer support can also call that number to learn more or call a local volunteer agency to offer support. 
Once the form is received and it is determined the relative is eligible to sponsor, the search will begin to locate the relative. The refugee will then be interviewed, a medical exam will be completed, final processing will occur and the relative will be issued travel documents and flown to the United States. 
Refugee assistance organizations are preparing themselves as well. The US government contracts with private organizations like the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Catholic Services to aid in the resettlement process. Those organizations and others are now trying to identify Albania-Americans with refugee relatives, line up volunteers, provide information to the public and begin the task of actually settling the refugees. The situation is expected to be complicated by the fact that the persecution suffered by the refugees is so traumatic and severe that intensive psychological counseling will be necessary.
Many organizations are already reporting highly promising results in their efforts to find Americans willing to offer support. Many are offering to help with housing, finding jobs, providing transportation and donating money.