Continued Resettlement of Bona Fide Refugees
The proposed Comprehensive Plan of Action calls for renewed
commitments by Western countries to the continued resettlement of
persons determined to have valid refugee status claims. If not
willing to avail themselves of voluntary repatriation, those
"long-staying refugees" residing in the region who were accorded
prima facie refugee status prior to the implementation of the
Plan would also be resettled in third countries.
resettlement.
It will be important though, to effect an appropriate
resettlement process which will not act as a "magnet" to
encourage the flight of would-be migrants who do not suffer
persecution in their home countries or for whom the legal
migration is an option. Towards this end, cooperative efforts
are required to ensure that status determinations be made
according to international refugee criteria and not on the basis
of an applicant's potential eligibility for third-country
Additionally, bona fide refugees who would have
qualified for legal departure from Vietnam under regular
migration programs, such as the ODP, should not be processed for
third-country resettlement or immigration within a shorter time
frame than would have been the case via legal channels in their
own country. To allow a more expeditious resettlement process
for persons in first asylum situations would be to signal persons
still in Vietnam that clandestine departure might still be
attractive alternative, in spite of the risks involved.
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