Canadian authorities and officials of the United Nations High Commissioner for the Refugees (UNHCR) selected the refugees from eight families after interviewing them in the first week of June, said Arakanese refugees' news agency in Bangladesh Narijana News. A total of 14 families were shortlisted for the interviews.

Confirming the information, a government official said the Canadian High Commission in Dhaka has already sent a list of names of the selected refugees to the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management.

However, the official said the government is yet to approve the list, "but there is no reason for the government not to approve it."

The date for the departure of the refugees has not been decided yet.

The International Organisation for Migration will conduct an orientation session for the refugees and arrange medical tests for them before their departure for Canada.

The receiving country prioritises health and knowledge of English language, among other criteria, for resettlement of refugees, the official noted.

Canada resettled nine Rohingyas last year and 13 early this year.

There are also 27 urban refugees (who can move freely) from Iran, two from Sierra Leone, one from Afghanistan and 143 Buddhist refugees from Myanmar in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has always lauded such resettlement of the Rohingya refugees from Cox's Bazar in Canada since these refugees are an addition to the already overpopulated country. There has also been no repatriation of the Rohingya refugees from the camps in the last two years.

Adviser for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury at a recent seminar expressed concern over non-repatriation of the Rohingya refugees.

There are about 26,000 Rohingya refugees in the two camps at Kutupalong of Ukhiya upazila and Nayapara of Teknaf upazila in Cox's Bazar district.

Over 2.5 lakh Rohingyas entered Bangladesh from Arakan state of Myanmar following discrimination and oppression back at home.

A total of 2,36,599 refugees have been repatriated so far. But it is believed that many of them have entered Bangladesh again and are now living in various parts of the southern districts.

Many Rohingyas gathered on the bank of the Naaf river at Teknaf where they have been living in makeshift houses for the last three years.

Following repeated requests from the UNHCR and the European Commission, the government recently decided to shift around 10,000 illegal Rohingyas to a safer place as their living condition on the riverbank was deplorable.