人民入境事務處
香港德輔道中 pg
國際大廈
Our Ref IMM/CR 3/1341(7)
IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT,
INTERNATIONAL BUILDING,
141, DES VOEUX ROAD CENTRAL.
HONG KONG.
21 June 1978
A Shepherd Esq
Migration and Visa Dept
FCO
Clive House
Petty France
London SW1H 9HD
Mr Brownlee
Dear Mr Shepherd,
Visa Waiver Arrangements
Hong Kong benefits from mutual visa waiver arrangements with most European countries even those, such as Holland, which have serious problems with visitors from Hong Kong. The main exceptions are West Germany and Austria.
The Dutch and others who, like them, do not require visas for Hong Kong British Passport holders, feel that visas are ineffective in keeping out undesirables (they always manage to get in somehow) and cause disproportionate ill will by ittitating respectable bona fide visitors. The West Germans and Austrians have not yet come round to this way of thinking, but we remain optimistic that it is only a matter of time before they do.
I have recently discussed this problem with the West German and Austrian Consuls General. The West German Consul General is both well informed and personally very sympathetic. He regards this as the one irritant in the otherwise excellent relations between West Germany and Hong Kong and assures me that he is putting our case very forcefully to the MFA in Bonn. I think we must leave it to him and see how he does.
The Austrian Consul General is also personally sympathetic, but seems to think that the responsibility for excluding Hong Kong from the latest.visa waiver agreement between the UK and Austria lies with the UK. From my papers this appears to be a misunderstanding, because it is clear from the last letter on our file (your GVV 2/393/1 of
3 December 1969) that the Embassy in Vienna did its best
/for us
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