TNAG-1423-FCO40-1906-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 34

among

ASYLUM APPLICATIONS ARE THE MOST DIFFICULT

THE MOST DIFFICULT AND SENSITIVE OF

IMMIGRATION CASES AND DECISIONS ARE ROUTINELY TAKEN AT HIGHER

LEVELS THAN FOR OTHER TYPES OF CASEWORK • ENQUIRIES OUTSIDE THE

DEPARTMENT ARE OFTEN NECESSARY AND IN THE GREAT MAJORITY OF

THE CONTINUING HIGH

CASES AN INDEPTH INTERVIEW IS UNDERTAKEN.

LEVEL OF ASYLUM APPLICATIONS, OVER 3,500 IN 1983 COMPARED WITH

SOME 1,500 IN 1979 WHEN COMBINED WITH THE CONTINUING UNSETTLED

AND UNPREDICTABLE NATURE OF WORLD EVENTS HAS REGRETTABLY GIVEN

RISE TO SOME DELAYS. WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE AVERAGE DELAY ON

SUCH CASES IS TOO LONG AND OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO REDUCE THE

NUMBER OF CASES UNDER CONSIDERATION. STEPS HAVE ALREADY BEEN

TAKEN TO INCREASE THE STRENGTH OF THE HOME OFFICE REFUGEE UNIT.

THE NOBLE LORD, VISCOUNT BUCKMASTER, ALSO ASKED ABOUT FURTHER

CONSIDERATION FOR REUNITING REFUGEE FAMILIES, OUR POLICY TOWARDS

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG WHO HAVE RELATIVES IN THIS

COUNTRY, AND WHETHER A MORE LIBERAL POLICY MIGHT ENCOURAGE

OTHER COMMUNITY COUNTRIES TO FOLLOW OUR LEAD.

THE UNITED KINGDOM ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGES ITS OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS

THE SPOUSE AND MINOR DEPENDENT CHILDREN OF REFUGEES IN THIS

COUNTRY AND THOSE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG WHO FALL

INTO THAT CATEGORY ARE ADMITTED TO THIS COUNTRY.

APPLICATIONS

FROM OTHER RELATIVES ARE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THE PARTICULAR

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