A group of 15 Somali refugees leave Malta tomorrow to start a new life in the United States.

They form part of a resettlement programme which, US Ambassador Molly Bordonaro said, will see hundreds of recognised refugees in Malta resettled in the United States.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has so far referred more than 260 people who are in the process of being settled in the US. Some will leave Malta in the next few weeks.

Ambassador Bordonaro, who this morning had a meeting with Foreign Minister Tonio Borg, said this showed the commitment of the United States to help Malta ease the problems of migration .

"It also demonstrates our recognition of the enormous challenges and dangers that many of the migrants have faced."

She said that all refugees are assigned a sponsor agency that provides initial services such as housing, food, clothing as well as referral to medical care, employment services and other support during a transition period lasting up to two years in order to ensure integration and assimilation.

"I have personally met many of the refugees who are part of the programme, and they will make outstanding US citizens," the ambassador said.

Dr Borg thanked the United States saying the resettlement programme was a demonstration of support which Malta was seeking to ease to ease the burden posed by the influx of migrants. He said he did not think such resettlement programmes would encourage more migrants to come to Malta, given the requirements needed for the migrants to qualify for resettlement.

Picture: In and out: A group of 53 migrants arrived in Malta yesterday.