Background
CONFIDENTIAL
(a) Expatriate Wives
1.
The expatriate community in Hong Kong are unhappy that,
while the spouses of beneficiaries under the British
Nationality (Hong Kong) Act will automatically receive
citizenship, their own non-British wives remain subject to
the Immigration Rules when entering the UK. In response to
lobbying, the Home Secretary announced during the Bill's 2nd
Reading in June that the widow of widower of a British
citizen in Hong Kong would be allowed to settle in the UK at any time, as if coming to the UK as a spouse.
2.
Subsequently in a written PQ reply, Mr Lloyd announced
that if the spouse were to provide Hong Kong Immigration
Department with evidence of her marraige, the details would
be noted in a register, and a formal letter issued on behalf
of the Home Secretary confirming the holder's eligibility to
settle in the UK providing that the Immigration Rules were
met. Letter holders would then be given priority when
applying for entry clearance in view of the information
already noted. The Home Office wrote to HKG on 24 August,
with the final version of the formal letter, asking when HKG
envisaged implementing the scheme and what publicity was
planned. They await a reply from HKG.
3.
The Concerned British Expatriates' Society represents a
group of British citizens living in Hong Kong who are married to non-British spouses. Their Chairman,
Julian Walsh has lobbied repeatedly since November 1989 on the issue of expats' spouses.
BUSAIK/2
CONFIDENTIAL