When one hears the name Albert Einstein, they immediately think

genius. Amongst being a genius Albert Einstein was many other things. He
was a writer, a Jew, a father, a husband, a German, a Swiss, and very
importantly a refugee.
According to the United States law, a refugee is someone who is of
special humanitarian concern to the United States, is admissible to the
United States, or demonstrates that they were persecuted or fear
persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or
membership in a particular social group. By being born into a Jewish family,
Einstein fell into this definition of a refugee.
Albert Einstein was born in Wurttenburg, Germany on March 14, 1879.
A few weeks later, he and his family moved to Munich where he later began
his schooling. Einstein attended many different schools throughout his life
and lived many places, including Italy and Switzerland. In 1905 he obtained
his doctors degree.
Albert Einstein became famous for his scientific theories around the
world in the 1900s, around the same time that Nazi Germany came to power.
Einsteins theory of relativity became an easy target for Nazi propaganda. In
1931, the Nazis enlisted other physicists to denounce his theories as Jewish
Physics. This new German government also passed a law stating that Jews
couldnt hold any official position, including teaching at Universities. Shortly
after, Einstein was blacklisted by the German government for being antiNazi and his books were burned along with many others whose readings
didnt agree with Nazi beliefs. In 1933, Albert decided to renounce his
German citizenship and immigrated to New Jersey as a refugee in the United
States of America.
After moving to the United States, Albert Einstein became a strong
advocate for other refugees. He gained his U.S. citizenship in 1940, and then
created a U.S. visa application format for Jewish refugees in Germany. He
was actively involved in vouching for the identity of applicants, and helped
saved many from persecution.

There are a few steps to become a legal United States refugee First,
one must receive a referral to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)
for consideration. Then, the refugee must undergo an extensive interviewing,
screening, and security process by regional refugee coordinators. Family
members such as a spouse and children (unmarried and under the age of 21)
may be included in the application. Same sex spouses may also be included
as long as the marriage is legal. In special cases, other family members may
be considered. There is no fee for the application process and information is
not shared with the applicants home country.
After being approved as a refugee, the Refugee Processing Center
works with private voluntary agencies to determine where the refugee will
live in the U.S. If the person does happen to have a relative already living in
the States, every effort will be made to place them near his/her relative. Next
the person must receive a medical exam, a cultural orientation, help with
travel plans, and a loan for travel expenses to the United States which is
expected to be paid back 6 months after their arrival. After arrival to the
U.S., they become eligible for medical and cash assistance. Refugees are
able to obtain work immediately upon arrival to the United States due to an
I-94, Arrival-Departure Record, containing a refugee admission stamp. After a
year, they may apply for a green card and become a permanent resident, as
Einstein did.
Every year the President of the United States, in consultation with
congress, determines the numerical ceiling for refugee admissions. In 2014,
the ceiling was 70,000 and 70,000 refugees were allowed into the country.
Almost half of all the 2014 refugee arrivals came from a region that includes
Iraq, Iran, Bhutan, and Afghanistan.

http://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-asylum/refugees

http://immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/refugees-fact-sheet
http://www.biography.com/people/albert-einstein-9285408#move-to-the-united-states
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1921/einstein-bio.html