present, they can normally gain such an assurance only by emigrating and settling in the country where they hope to acquire citizenship.
The British Government's scheme will give 50,000 of these key people the assurance which they want without any need for them to live in Britain before they qualify for our citizenship. The Government's is also asking our allies in Europe and elsewhere in the world to consider similar schemes which could help sustain confidence in Hong Kong.
It is of course theoretically possible that every one of the 50,000 families who benefit from our scheme will decide to come and live in Britain. The Government think that this is extremely unlikely, given their strong cultural, personal and professional ties with Hong Kong. But even if they did come here, they would certainly not be a burden to this country. They would be some of the most enterprising and talented people from one of the most successful economies seen this century, who could start immediately to make a contribution.
Arrangements are being made for all applications under the scheme
The to be processed by 30 June 1997 when the scheme will end. Government's scheme will be strictly limited in numbers, scope and duration. The legislation will be ring fenced to ensure that it cannot be used as a vehicle to bring about wider changes in the Government's immigration policy.
If the Government had offered no assurances on nationality, this country's economic interests would certainly have been damaged. The Government would also have made more likely a major challenge to its policy of restricting immigration. If confidence within Hong Kong were to collapse completely, then we could expect very large numbers of people to arrive at our airports seeking admission as refugees. The numbers involved might make the 50,000 families included in the Government's scheme look small.
Faced with such a situation, the British Government would naturally try to coordinate an international response to the problem, but it is certain that other countries would expect Britain, as the former colonial power, to accept the lion's share. It would be far preferable to avoid such an outcome by doing everything possible to maintain the prosperity and confidence of Hong Kong during the remaining years of British administration.
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Jouhani
J Morris
Hong Kong Department