CONFIDENTIAL
HOME OFFICE
Lunar House, Wellesley Road, CROYDON CR9 2BY Telephone: 01-686 0333, ext. 2739
Our reference: IMG/71 1176/1178/43 and IMG/76 757/20/30
Your reference:
...
W Jones Esq
Migration and Visa Department
Foreign and Commonwealth Office LONDON SW1
Dear Wilfred
3 August 1979
As you know, the Home Secretary is reviewing the current Immigration Rules. In that context we have submitted to him memoranda on two aspects of the Rules These are which are of particular interest to the Old Commonwealth countries.
the special facilities for entry by Commonwealth citizens with a grandparent born in the United Kingdom, and the Rules governing the admission of Commonwealth citizens for working holidays. I enclose copies of the papers which the Home Secretary has now considered.
The Home Secretary has agreed that the Rules should continue to provide for the admission of Commonwealth citizens for working holidays. He has also agreed that the amendments described in paragraph 10(i) - (v) of the memorandum should be incorporated in revised Rules. The main effects would be to reduce the maximum length of a working holiday from 5 to 2 years; to define the age range of those who would be eligible as from 17-25; and to require applicants to have the means (or access to them) for their return fare and be unlikely to have recourse to public funds. The amended Rules would (we believe) be similar to those in force in Australia except that we do not propose to introduce a scheme for permits which we understand exists there.
The Home Secretary's wish is to eliminate from the Rules the provision which enables a Commonwealth citizen with a grandparent born in the UK to come here for employment (paragraph 27 of HC 79). It would follow that there would be no question of re-introducing in any new marriage Rules the facility which existed between 1973 and 1974 for male Commonwealth citizens with a grandparent born in the UK to be
He does admitted for marriage to, or as the husband of, a woman settled here. not wish to reach a final decision however before the Commonwealth Governments principally concerned have been given the opportunity to say whether they would raise formal objections to such a course.
The purpose of this letter is to seek your help in arranging the necessary consultations. We had it in mind that the Governments to be consulted would be those of Australia, Canada and New Zealand. You will see from the papers that our understanding has been that the Australian and New Zealand Governments attach great importance to the working holiday Rules, but would not feel so strongly about withdrawal of the UK ancestry provision. An up-to-date assessment is now needed. We can hardly expect the Governments concerned to welcome the change: what we need is an indication of what their public attitude to it would be. Even if they were prepared to say that they would not formally protest it might be helpful to have in addition the posts' views on the likely reaction of public opinion in the countries concerned.
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CONFIDENTIAL