BY BAG
+341|1
23 August 1979
CR 11/2091/79
HKK341
K Sullivan Esq PEKING
мо
2198
Sac (181)
3
177A
CPG PASSPORT HOLDERS WITHOUT ONWARD VISAS
As further background to the problems we have been having over passport holders arriving without onward visas or valid visa promise letters, I attach two copies of two sets of documents recently seen at Lowu together with covering notes by Immigration Department. You may find it useful to give some examples to your MFA contacts.
2.
In nearly all cases the problems do not concern fraudulent documents (your telno 621 of 16 August)but the absence of any supporting documentation or the use of us visa promise letters by relatives other than those nased on the original letter. The commonest example is of a valid visa promise letter to which names of other relatives have been sworn before a notary public in the US. This is not frædulent as such, but of course gives no entitlement to a US visa.
3.
Nearly all cases concern passports issued in Canton. We have already given a full selection of inadequate documentation to the ECNA. I attach a list of various categories which I handed over to the NCNA on 17 August. Unfortunately I do not have spare copies to hand of all examples listed. We are particularly concerned about a 'Form of Affidavit to be used in lieu of passport* of which we have seen some exmaples, including printed versions which look highly official although they are, of course, only sworn before a notary public and give no entitlement to a visa.
4.
So far mmbers this month are more than double those in July with 237 people arriving on passports without onward visas in the first 20 days. In themselves these mumbers are perhaps manageable, but our fear is that loopholes offered by any laxness in issuing passports could very quickly be exploited by people who have tried but failed to receive permission for normal exit permits to come to Hong Kong. I have told the NCNA that unless ways can be found of preventing people with inadequate documentation arriving at Lowu, we would have to consider asking the authorities at Shenzhen
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