None of the latest arrivals, who include about 20 children believed to be under the age of five, have claimed refugee status, Varnai said. But each, including the crew members, is entitled to seek it, he said.

But if people are convicted of crimes, Canada typically moves quickly to deport them, Varnai said, referring to the charges expected against the Koreans. It's unclear if the crew is from North or South Korea.

All 123 people aboard the filthy, listing ship seized off northern Vancouver Island on July 20 are seeking refugee status.

A total of 37 of them remain in custody in Vancouver and some may face charges of human smuggling.

Some of the other people off that vessel, who have been released into the community and are receiving social assistance while they await refugee hearings, have said they paid - or pledged - up to $38,000 (U.S.) for the 39-day voyage from Fujian province in southern China.

The latest batch of migrants are believed to be from the same province.

But the children and about 40 women make this ship different.

Varnai defended the fact that the migrants ended up being dumped into the water, had to swim a short distance to shore and wait for rescue crews even though federal officials had been monitoring the ship's every move for 48 hours.

And, he added, the difficult surroundings made it hard to find the four men not picked up until yesterday.

``It wasn't safe to board the vessel because of oceanic and weather conditions,'' Varnai said. "Search and rescue in very difficult terrain is not easy."

Federal officials are now confident everyone from the ship has now been picked up, Varnai said.

Military personnel spent yesterday doing some ``minor tweaking'' to the gymnasium compound at CFB Esquimalt that was converted for the previous boatload of migrants, said Lt.-Cmdr. Chris Henderson of Maritime Forces Pacific.

Four trailers were added for office and interviewing space for immigration officials and adjustments were made to X-ray machines so that children could also be checked for tuberculosis, he said.

An additional secured area was built within the compound to give the detainees more room for exercise and fresh air, Henderson said.

A collection of portable toilets that were added during the stay by the previous boatload were moved to a different area away from surrounding homes, he said.

``We're trying to do everything we can to mitigate the noise and the inconvenience,'' Henderson said in an interview from Victoria.

The last of the first set of migrants left the gymnasium compound last week.

But as CFB Esquimalt prepares to welcome a second boatload of migrants, Vancouver's Chinese community is grumbling.

Many Chinese in Vancouver who went through the long, costly process to get themselves or family members here legally are angry that those arriving by boat without documentation get ahead quicker, said Mason Loh, a lawyer and local community activist.

``There's a lot of resentment, not necessarily just against the claimants but also against the system,'' Loh said.