From time to time, it may be necessary to use transit facilities in Hong Kong for cases due to go to Reception- this need arises when a family is called forward to an empty room in the Reception Centre, and after the call forward has been requested, the Centre is required to give emergency accommodation to an arrival from Vietnam, Accommodation needs of Vietnam arrivals cannot be predicted in advance as little notice is given of flights, and there is no indication of which families are likely to be arriving until a short time before the flight is due. It is hoped that transit facilities will not often be needed, and when they are needed, that the delay will only be for a few weeks.
c) applicants who cannot accommodate their relatives, or can only accommodate them temporarily, and who do not want to use the Reception Centre:
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Outside London F.R.A. liases directly with the family and with the local authority, to arrange temporary overcrowding or if possible, housing to coincide with arrival. Once an agreement has been reached, the family are ready to be called forward. In London F.R.A. gives the details to Refugee Action (Deptford office) who either pass the case on to the relevant London Vietnamese worker, or make contact with housing associations/ boroughs direct. Where cases are handed over to a London worker, Deptford office assist and advise where necessary.
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In each case, arrangements are either made to overcrowd temporarily, or to use homeless family accommodation until housing is available. Once this has been done, families are ready for ball forward.
4. F.R A. is informed by The Cedars, and by Deptford office which
families are ready for call forward. F.R.A. then compiles a list of all call forwards - usually between 20 and 30 people - at the end of each month, and forwards it to the Family Reunion Co-ordination office (F.R.C. Woking).
5. F.R.C. compiles a list of Refugee Action and Ockenden Venture call forwards and sends it to the Home Office (Lunar House) where the cases are checked. Any queries/discrepancies are referred back to F.R.C. A few cases are rejected at this stage, for example where relatives have become Hong Kong citizens and are no longer refugees.
6. Those accepted are sent to the Hong Kong government office where
arrangements are made to locate the refugees and prepare for their departure. Some cases are deleted/delayed at this stage, for example where relatives have recently left Hong Kong for settlement elsewhere, or if relatives cannot be found.
7. The Home Office informs F.R.C. who has finally been accepted,
and this information is passed by F.R.C. to Ockenden Venture and Refugee Action family reunion offices. F.R.C. requests onward flights according to the destination of each case.
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8. F.R.C. receives a telex giving flight details usually the flight can be expected 6 weeks after call forward. This information is passed to F.RA. who then inform the applicant, and the local Vietnamese worker of the arrival.
Penny Dane March 186
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