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2. IN REPLY, WE SAID WE AGREED THAT THE RECENT AGREEMENT ON BOCS
PROVIDED AN INTERESTING PRECEDENT BUT THERE WOULD BE GREAT
DISAPPOINTMENT HERE IF BN (0)S WERE REQUIRED TO OBTAIN VISAS TO
VISIT CANADA. ANY AGREEMENT WITH THE CANADIAN AUTHORITIES WHICH
NECESSITATED THE HOLDING OF A VISA WOULD BE BOUND TO BE VIEWED HERE
AS A LET-DOWN BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, AND FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT
THE BM(0) PASSPORT IS AN INFERIOR DOCUMENT. THE FIRST SECRETARY
(IMMIGRATION) REPLIED THAT HE HAD ALREADY PUT FORWARD TO OTTAWA
PROPOSALS TO AMEND SCHEDULE 2 TO THE IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS TO
EXTEND VISA EXEMPTION TO BN (0)S, BUT HAD NOT YET HEARD FROM THEM.
HE ESTIMATED THAT THE ABSENCE OF ANY RESPONSE SO FAR WAS PROBABLY DUE
TO THE NEED TO ADDRESS THE ACCEPTABILITY OF BN (0) PASSPORT FIRST.
HE ENVISAGED THAT IF ANY SIGNIFICANT TREND OF BN (G)S SEEKING REFUGEE
STATUS OR ASYLUM IN CANADA DEVELOPED NEARER 1997, THE CASE FOR VISA
EXEMPTION WOULD BE HARD TO DEFEND. BUT THEIR GOVERNMENT ARE WELL
AWARE OF THE ALREADY HUGE SIZE OF THE CANADIAN COMMISSION HERE
BECAUSE OF THE LARGE NUMBERS OF APPLICANTS FOR ENTRY INTO CANADA
FOR VISIT, STUDIES OR SETTLEMENT. A VISA REQUIREMENT FOR BN(C)S WOULD NO DOUBT GENERATE EVEN GREATER WORKLOAD AND CONSEQUENTLY THE
NEED FOR MORE STAFF.
3. THE FIRST SECRETARY (IMMIGRATION) RE-ITERATED THAT HE FELT HIS GOVERNMENT WAS TREADING CAUTIOUSLY BECAUSE THE BN(C) PASSPORT IS A UNIQUE DOCUMENT, ISSUED BY ONE COUNTRY TO PEOPLE WHO WILL COME UNDER THE SOVEREIGNTY AND JURISDICTION OF ANOTHER COUNTRY. ON THE OTHER HAND THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT SUPPORTED THE JOINT DECLARATION AND WERE ALIVE TO THE POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL CONSEQUENCES IF THE NEW
PASSPORT WAS NOT RECOGNISED BY THEM.
4. FINALLY THE FIRST SECRETARY (IMMIGRATION) AGREED TO REPORT BACK ANY QUERIES OR QUESTIONS FROM OTTAWA, AND TO CONTINUE TO REPLY IN RESPONSE TO PRESS ENQUIRIES THAT THEY HAVE NOT YET BEEN FORMALLY APPROACHED BY THE UK GOVERNMENT AND HAVE THEREFORE NO COMMENTS, TO
MAKE ON THE NEW PASSPORT.
YOUDE
HONG KONG AGREEMENT : RESTRICTED
LIMITED
HD/HKD
HD/FED
COPIES TO:
MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS MR WOOD LEGAL ADVISERS
RESEARCH D (FE)
D/HD PUSD
MR WILSON
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