About 900 refugees detained on Papua New Guinea's Manus island have been told they'll be interviewed by immigration officials from the United States from next month.
Residents of the Manus Island processing centre queue for food. Photo: Behrouz Boochani
The interviews are part of a deal Australia has brokered with the United States to grant asylum to refugees detained for four years in PNG and Nauru as part of Australia's border protection policy.
Interviews with refugees on Nauru were being conducted by US immigration officials this month when the Texan congressman Brian Babin threatened that President Trump would cancel the deal.
The Kurdish journalist and detainee, Behrouz Boochani, says he's been told by PNG immigration staff that US officials will come to Manus Island in mid-February.
Mr Boochani says the process is expected to take between six and 12 months.
He says the refugees hope the process eases tensions on Manus Island where their detention has been marred by violent altercations with the local community.