The 60,000th Bhutanese refugee departed to the U.S. from Nepal yesterday, September 4, 2012.  She is a 28-year-old woman with a husband and young daughter.  The family will start a new life in Columbus, Ohio. 

The U.S., in close coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), began resettling Bhutanese refugees residing in eastern Nepal in 2007. Other countries participating in this resettlement program - Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom – have collectively resettled another 11,000 individuals. The U.S. is committed to considering for resettlement as many Bhutanese refugees as express interest.