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(a) The problem of blockage of resettlement when people
in the camps have close relatives in Britain
Answer
On this question we are wholly reliant on information provided
by UNHCR. They have indeed drawn the problem to our attention. They say that many resettlement countries (eg US, Canada, France, New Zealand) have less restrictive family
reunion criteria than we do, and therefore expect us to accept
refugees who have close relatives in the UK (ie including parents and grand parents, children and grandchildren, siblings), despite the fact that they fall outside our stricter criteria. UNHCR say there are 435 refugees with such links in Hong Kong, and that in practice these links debar most of them from consideration for resettlement by
other countries.
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