CODE 18-77
SS 8/78
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cc. de shit SEAD
Mr William
11liamson
•
Sent AF7/4
Reference
HKK 243/1
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES HONG KONG
No
CRE
Usis
AF-25/5
1. Mrs Yu rang from HKGO. She has had recent contacts with Home Office officials which suggest that at desk level at any rate they might be more sympathetic than we had thought to a proposition for a relaxation of the criteria for family reunion cases. Apparently, contrary to what Mr Raison told Sir E Youde and Sir J Cater last month, the Home Office are not at all liberal at the moment. The rules are to limit family reunions to spouses and dependent minor children, with a possible concession for dependent parents over 60 in special circumstances.
2,
Mrs Yu asked whether the FCO would be prepared to support such a proposition. I said that I thought we would. We would like to know Hong Kong's own assessment of the likely benefit of a relaxation and we would in present circumstances need to consider whether to submit to Ministers, particularly in view of the change of Ministers in the FCO.
3.
Mrs Yu will consult Hong Kong and let us know more.
7 April 1982
Noted
Q
MEN AF4 BU 1 week
Cae
во
28/4
Affairs BU kweek
BULKwek
CSE
18/5
сае
R D Clift
¡Voted
AF-5/5
The 5/5
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