OUT TELEGRAM
(CONT)
Classification
CONFIDENTIAL
Caveat
Precedence
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than spending half a day at Heathrow while the immigration officer checks up. The abolition of optional entry certificates for BN (0) s could influence adversely the attitude of immigration officers to all visitors from Hong Kong. Abolition of entry
certificates would not give BN (0) passport holders "free and
unrestricted entry to the UK. Only the grant of right of abode
would do this and this is clearly out of the question.
3.
The Home Office has pointed out that the comparison of
entry certificates with the granting of indefinite and multiple
visas by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong is misleading.
visa is mandatory for a Hong Kong BDTC visiting the USA, whereas
BDTCs and BN (0)s visiting the UK do not require entry
certificates. The granting of entry certificates is not
therefore a "visa-type system".
For reasons previously given, we agree with the Home
Office that this proposal would be to the disadvantage of
BN (0)S.
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The Home Office are also opposed to EXCO's second
proposal (that multiple visit entry certificates valid for the
Life of the passport in which they are entered should be issued
to BDTCs we asked the Home Office to consider this for BDTCs
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and BN (0)s). They argue that the proposal would not be
consistent with the requirements of the immigration control.
Entry certificates are issued on the basis of a careful
examination of all the circumstances both personal and
international at the time and much can change in a period of 10
years. They believe it essential to ensure that an entry
clearance continues to be recognised by immigration officers as
prima facie evidence of a person's eligibility for entry to the
United Kingdom (paragraph 12 of the Immigration Rules - HK 169 -
refers). The issue of an entry certificate for up to 10 years'
validity would in their view devalue its worth and lead
immigration officers to probe more deeply to see whether there
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