900 African immigrants could be resettled by 2012

Around 750 African immigrants living in Malta are in the process of being resettled to the US and several EU countries over the coming 12 months, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Five hundred applications have already been filed, and the figure is expected to climb to more than 900 if resettlement processing continues at the current rate.

With an estimated 4,000 refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants with protection status currently residing in Malta, such burden-sharing initiatives may ease Malta's load by more than 20 per cent by 2012.

The US will be taking 500 immigrants while 10 EU countries will accept 255, including small states which will be taking a handful each.

Continued resettlement depends on further cooperation from various countries, including the US, France and Germany. However, the UNHCR is hopeful that results will start being visible within the next six to nine months, which is the period needed for applications to be processed and people to be resettled.

"Responsibility-sharing with Malta is now becoming a reality through generous support being offered," a UNHCR Malta spokesman told The Sunday Times.

Though the UNHCR is frequently misunderstood and lambasted as an immigration watchdog that is insensitive to the challenges facing Malta, it is also responsible for screening potential candidates for resettlement, based on individual needs and requirements of the country accepting to take them.

After the UNHCR submits the immigrants' cases, they are interviewed and screened again by receiving countries before a final decision is taken. Usually no significant changes are made to the UNHCR's submissions.

Immigrants are chosen depending on their protection status, vulnerability as well as skills and background.

"Remember that we are dealing with people, not numbers or statistics. Different needs and situations have to be taken into account for each individual. Sometimes it is difficult to reconcile the needs with the criteria presented by some receiving states. Our aim is that the process should be both fair and efficient.

"It is quite a labour-intensive process, but we have been working closely with the Ministry of Justice to develop the capacity to process a higher number of cases," the spokesman said, adding that this was a joint effort with other organisations like the International Organisation for Migration, the Emigrants' Commission, the Jesuit Refugee Service and Medicins Sans Frontieres.

"Countries agree to resettle immigrants because besides international legal frameworks which place responsibilities on states, some countries rely on migration to address certain needs, the spokesman explained.

"Through the years, many countries and regions have come to depend on migration movements to address labour market needs and to counter a decline in population numbers. Refugees can also contribute in various ways to positive developments in their new communities. Some states have found that resettlement of refugees can be a win-win situation for all."

The UNHCR hopes that with more people finding solutions elsewhere, Malta would be able to improve the situation for those who remain in the country.

"A reduction in the total number may also, over time, facilitate a more positive interaction between Maltese society and those who have been granted asylum here. Refugees themselves want to contribute in a positive way."

To qualify for resettlement migrants must have been granted some form of protection.

Those who do not qualify for protection because they leave their countries for purely economic reasons are generally repatriated, even though this is not always immediately possible because of lack of cooperation from their country's governments.