ومالی
UNITED NATIONS
HIGH COMMISSIONER
FOR REFUGEES
Branch Office for the Philippines
Ref.:
Street Address:
Suite 201, 2nd Floor
JEG Building
MNL/6609
150 Legaspi St., Legaspi Village
Makati, Metro Manila
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NATIONS UNIES
HAUT COMMISSARIAT POUR LES RÉFUGIÉS
Délégation pour les Philippines
鲁
Postal Address:
P.O. Box 878 (MCPO) MAKATI, METRO MANILA PHILIPPINES
Cable Address: HICOMREF Manila Telex: PH 23248, 66908
Tel. Nos. 818 18 23 81851 21/22
11 June 1986
Dear Mr. Minister,
Re:
Non-Indochinese Refugees in the Philippines
I am very pleased to refer to the 1981 accession by the Government of the Philippines to the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and to its own laws and regulations pertaining to the granting of refugee status in the Philippines (the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 and Ministry of Justice Inter-Office Memorandum No. 1 dated 12 February 1981 both refer).
Of the approximately 100 non-Indochinese recognized as refugees by UNHCR in the Philippines under its international mandate, 92 are Iranians while 6 are Ethiopians, 1 is Afghani, and 1 is Romanian. These UNHCR-recognized refugees have, for the most part, been in the Philippines for quite some time, assisted by UNHCR with monthly allowances and medical care.
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Therefore, these
However, of the 100 refugees, 50 gre lawfully married to Filipinas and as such are legally entitled to apply for Section 13(a) "non-quota immigrant" visas, with corresponding permanent residency in the Philippines. Because of this opportunity to remain permanently in the safety of the Philippines, no country is willing to consider these Iranians married to Filipinas for further resettlement. Iranians are being assisted by UNHCR to obtain Section 13 (a) visas, and then to permanently settle here in the Philippines (UNHCR documents MNL/6005 of 11 March 1986 and MNL/3190 of 19 March 1986, attached as Annexes A and B for easy reference, provide additional background information). We also attach, Annex C, a brief status report on those Iranian refugees already holding Section 13(a) visas, and those who are now in the process of applying.
as
Minister Neptali A. Gonzales Ministry of Justice
'Taft Avenue, Manila
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