11.
ANNEX II
AUSTRALIA
CANADA
DENMARK
ITALY
NETHERLANDS
NORWAY
SWITZERLAND
UNITED STATES
PROCESSING PERIODS
(i.e., from interview to movement)
Processing period some 6 weeks. However, acceptance rate slower than processing rate, so that in practice refugees wait longer to leave for Australia. This is because the based in turn on programme is based on a regular intake practical arrangements made for refugees upon arrival:
Families found upon hostels, language classes, etc. medical examination in transit centres to be suffering from infectious diseases have to be put on medical hold, since it is against immigration law for anyone to enter Australia suffering from an infectious disease.
Processing period some 6 weeks. This time is slightly less in processing of refugees in Hong Kong.
Processing period some 2-4 weeks. The selection mission spends approximately 2 hours with each family being considered for resettlement. The information is then tabled to Copenhagen and local embassies receive authorization to issue visas shortly thereafter.
Processing period some 2-3 weeks.
The Dutch are considering sending a selection mission in future. Movement to the Netherlands has to be in fairly small groups because of absorption capacity.
The Norwegian Government has not yet decided whether to send a selection mission or whether to take refugees who have family already resettled in Norway. As with the Netherlands, absorption capacity regulates speed of admissions.
Selection mission left for South East Asia on 9 July and the first beneficiaries arrived on 20 July (11 days later). The last to arrive will, however, have had several weeks' wait in camps because, as with the Netherlands and Norway, reception/absorption capacity does not allow very large intakes at any one time.
Many processes go on simultaneously, and the whole process takes some 2 months from beginning to end. However, there is a backlog of cases to be admitted, so that in practice some refugees wait for several months before they can depart.