TNAG-1420-FCO40-1903-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 37

JM

HOME OFFICE

Lunar House Wellesley Road Croydon CR9 2BY

Telegram Immnat Croydon

Telephone 01-760 2648

Graeme Jackson Esq

The British Refugee Council

Bondway House

3/9 Bondway

LONDON

SW8 1SJ

Please reply to The Under Secretary of State Your reference

Our reference IMG/85

Date

85/1026/14

October 1985

VIETNAMESE FAMILY REUNION CASES

1.

When we discussed, on 27 September, our preliminary thoughts about the procedures we require to establish so that we can quickly begin processing the cases embraced by the Government's commitment to family reunification contained in its reply to the SCORRI report on refugee matters, I undertook to write to you once we had both had a further opportunity to consider my proposals. This letter is intended to fulfil that agreement.

2.

quickly and, in

I mentioned that we in IND wish to conduct this business view of the limited resources of the Refugee Unit, it is clearly in all our interests that the procedures should avoid duplication.

3. With that in mind, the procedures I put to you were as follows, as far as the Hong Kong cases are concerned.

i.

ii.

iii.

BRC will provide us with monthly lists of about 40 people. These lists will contain only those who, following BRC's enquiries, meet the important criterion of being accepted by their relatives here.

IND will immediately scrutinise the lists, and will make enquiries of BRC where information is doubted, or incomplete. If further information is not quickly available the names concerned will be deleted and referred back to BRC for further enquiry and later re-submission. The amended list will be forwarded to the Hong Kong Government by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and copied to UNHCR London.

Hong Kong will screen and document the cases referred to them, ensuring that those named wish to come to Britain. They will telex to IND the names of those whose cases have been processed. Provided that details match, IND will telex authorisation of entry clearance.

iv.

UNHCR will arrange travel, and BRC's contact with the Home Office in respect of those cases will then be with the Voluntary Services Unit.

4.

As I mentioned, it would, I believe, help this programme if we were soon to pass to Hong Kong the lists of 430 people in the Hong Kong camps which you sent to us with your letters of 12 and 19 April, 7, 8, 29 and 30 May; and 8 July 1985. We would pass

1.