The UNHCR said it submitted 10,000 applications for refugee resettlement in 2022, while 21,000 other applications are at various stages of being processed this year, with 12,000 submissions being reviewed.

It said resettlement is not an automatic right as the number of places offered by third countries is limited, with less than 1% of global refugees receiving placement every year.

As such, priority is given to highly vulnerable refugees and those in need of urgent protection, a UNHCR spokesman told FMT.

The UNHCR statement came in response to complaints by a group of Iranian refugees in Malaysia on Wednesday in a protest outside the UNHCR headquarters.

The group’s leader, Ahoora Jenab Zedah, said the Iranian community in Malaysia has been ignored and received fewer aid and resettlement opportunities than refugees from other countries. Some had been awaiting resettlement for over a decade.

UNHCR said it had been open for engagements with representatives of refugees, including those from the Iranian community.

“We meet regularly with representatives of refugee community groups, both informally and at formal meetings,” it said.

“Representatives of the Iranian refugee community are active participants in these engagements where the concerns of their community are regularly raised and responded to.”