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Refugees preparing for work in UK
LONDON, England -- The first group of asylum seekers to win British work visas as part of the Anglo-French deal to close France's Sangatte asylum camp are spending their first day in the UK capital. About 40 men are in London after being brought to Britain from the Red Cross camp on a Channel Tunnel train. They are being given four-year UK work visas rather than being treated as asylum claimants, and will be helped to find employment. The group is the first of 1,200 asylum seekers -- 1,000 Iraqis and 200 Afghans -- Britain has agreed to accept before the Sangatte centre closes on December 30, the UK's Press Association reported. A Home Office spokesman told PA: "We are not saying where (the refugees are staying) for security reasons. This is a sensitive issue and we need to handle it sensitively." The group are being housed in the capital in full-board accommodation and have a £10 ($15) a week allowance for up to three months while they find work. Some of the group may be taken to the northern city of Sheffield. In Sangatte, other refugees are eagerly awaiting news of when they will be beginning their long-awaited journey across the Channel. "Saddam Hussein killed my two brothers in 1991, so my father said to go,"said Iraqi Kurd Aram, who is due to be among the next busload heading for Britain. The 26-year-old hopes to be reunited with his mother and sister: "I went by car to Turkey and came here two months ago. I shall now go to England. I'm very happy," he told PA. The Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus will offer all 1,200 new arrivals help in finding jobs and training. "There are already many offers coming in from recruitment agencies," said the spokesman. "The hotel, catering and food processing industries have recruitment difficulties and so these areas may well be considered."
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