Refugee Act of 1980

a law that established U.S. policies and procedures for admitting, resettling, and absorbing refugees. The act also changed the definition of refugee to conform with the UN standard of a person with a “well-founded fear of persecution,” raised the annual ceiling of admitted refugees from 17,400 to 50,000, and instituted the Office of the U.S. Coordinator for Refugee Affairs and the Office of Refugee Resettlement.