DOGABL
Essential Facts
CONFIDENTIAL
1.
Secretary of
Order in Council.
•
State is familiar with the Hong Kong Nationality
It was published on
on 17 October 1985 and debated
It will be resubmitted to Parliament for
The Home Office a re still considering
which have been made concerning the Order,
The current strictly
in Parliament in January
approval in due
various proposals
course.
including that of the ethnic minorities. confidential position is that Home Office research has revealed that of 11,000 present ethnic minority population
for BDTC before 1997. further 60,000 who may qualify a
No decision yet
in addition to the
there are
Possibility of
reached.
a
major immigration
problem.
2.
The Order
of the UK
Declaration.
on
is designed to give legislative effect
Memorandum
nationality associated with
the
to the terms
Joint
It provides that all BDTCs by virtue of a connection
with Hong Kong will lose that status on
on 1 July 1997 but will be able to acquire British National (Overseas) status and retain it for the
rest of their lives.
Current ethnic minority BDTC populations in Hong Kong are split
roughly as follows:-
3.
Indian
4518
39%
Pakistani
2127
18.4%
Portuguese
2255
19.5%
uthers
2685
23.1%
11585
4.
The Chinese position
is
Kong
are
Chinese citizens.
that BD TCs
Therefore,
to
of Chinese origin in Hong
of reduce the prospect
statelessness for the descendents of the 11,000 ethnic minority
BDTCs
in Hong Kong
grandchildren of
we
have
former BDTCs
born
provided
after
the for
1997
Overseas Citizenship if they would otherwise be
children
and
to acquire British
stateless. However,
CONFIDENTIAL