Vienna
Religious minorities in Iran (including Jews, Christians, B'hai and Zoroastrians) report being victims of imprisonment, harassment and intimidation based on their religious beliefs. They face restrictions in government, business, the legal system, marriage, employment and higher education.
Since 1983 the HIAS office in Vienna has been the first stop for Iranian minorities seeking to escape this oppressive way of life for freedom and security in the United States. HIAS holds a contract with the U.S. Department of State to be the sole Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) in Vienna for applicants to the U.S. Refugee Program.
The primary activity of the Vienna OPE is to:
- assist applicants to the U.S. Refugee Program in completing applications for consideration;
- assist the U.S. Government in the processing of such applications;
- once an applicant is admitted into the program, coordinate sponsorship arrangements with U.S. resettlement agencies
Vienna Refugee Enrichment Program
Per Austrian law, those awaiting refugee processing in Vienna are not allowed to work or access publicly funded programs. As a result, the stay in Vienna creates issues for members of every age group. Children cannot attend school while adults must put their careers on hold and cope with the anxiety and frustration of not knowing what the future holds. Following 9/11 and the increased refugee application processing times, HIAS initiated the Vienna Refugee Enrichment Program (VREP), which provides much-needed social and educational programming to relieve the dire circumstances of this population, while preparing them for arrival in the U.S. These programs include:
- Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced English-language instruction;
- U.S. History Seminars;
- Group tours of Vienna Museums and cultural sites, including the Vienna Museum, Jewish Museum and the Belvedere, Schonbrunn and Hofburg Palaces;
- German-language instruction;
- Movie nights for different age groups and entire families with both Farsi and English-language films.
To find out how you can support HIAS' efforts to assist Jewish and other Iranian refugees in limbo, click here.
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