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CORRECTED BY EVENTUAL PROVISIONS IN THE NEW NATIONALITY LAW TO ALLOW A CHILD ADOPTED IN HONG KONG IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ADOPTION ORDINANCE (CAP 203) TO ACQUIRE CITIZENSHIP OF THE UK AND COLONICS (OR WHATEVER TERMINOLOGY IS FINALLY AGREED)
AUTOMATICALLY IF THE PERSON ADOPTING THE CHILD IS SUCH A CITIZEN..
IN THE CASE OF A JOINT ADOPTION, IT WOULD SUFFICE IF EITHER PARENT WAS SUCH A CITIZEN
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B. CITIZENSHIP BY VIRTUE OF MARRIAGE. (PARA 48 TO 52 OF THE GREEN PAPER),
IN VIEW OF OUR SERIOUS. IMMIGRATION PROBLEMS AND THE CLOSE LINK BETWEEN IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP, WE WOULD PREFER TO KEEP THE
STATUS QUO. WE NOTE FROM RETRACT 054 OF 11 OCTOBER THAT HR RAISON SEEMED TO HAVE SOME DOUBTS ABOUT ANY LIBERALISATION, INCLUDING ARRANGED MARRIAGES, FOREIGN HON RESIDENT MALE SPOUSES OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS TEND TO CAUSE IMMIGRATION CONTROL PROBLEMS,
WHICH WOULD BE EXACERBATED BY ANY SCHEME FOR THEN TO ACQUIRE · CITIZENSHIP THROUGH THEIR WIVES. WE ACCEPT, HOWEVER, THAT THERE MAY BE PRESSURE FOR SOME DEGREE OF LIBERALISATION. IF IT IS FELT
THAT THIS PRESSURE CANNOT BE RESISTED AND THAT HMG MUST THEREFORE CHOOSE ONE OF THE OPTIONS IN PARA SE OF THE GREEN PAPER. WE WOULD PREFER OPTION (1) TO TREAT SPOUSES OF CITIZENS ON THE SAME TERMS AS OTHER APPLICANTS FOR CITIZENSHIP, BUT TO GIVE BUTH SEXES SOME CONCESSION IN THE MATTER OF RESIDENCE PERHAPS BY REQUIRING ONLY 2 YEARS, INSTEAD OF THE NORMAL 5, FOR NATURALISATION??,
J
C. NATURALISATION (PARA 51 60 OF THE GREEN PAPER),
WE WOULD PREFER TO RETAIN THE STATUS OUG, HONG KONG HAS A SOCIETY WHICH IS LESS HOMOGENEOUS BUT POLITICALLY MORE FLUID THAN THAT
OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND ALL THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST AN OBJECTIVE
TEST AND AGAINST AN APPEALS SYSTEM THAT ARE MENTIONED IN THE GREEN PAPER APPLY WITH GREATER FORCE IN HONG KONG.
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/D. DUAL