E.R.
course, have no responsibility in respect of documents issued
by the People's Republic of China, or by the Hong Kong
authorities themselves, after 1997.
Immigration to the UK from Hong Kong
7.
People from Hong Kong can qualify to come to the UK under the
same Immigration Rules as apply throughout the world. They
may, for example, settle in the United Kingdom by virtue of
marriage to a British Citizen or person married here, or if
they have a high level of skill or qualification which is not available within the Community workforce they may come to the UK with a work permit and settle after 4 years in approved employment. In addition there are arrangements for people from overseas who invest in business or who have independent means and a personal connection with the UK to come to the UK
and qualify for settlement after 4 years here. In total 1,360
Hong Kong BDTCs were accepted for settlement in the UK in
1989. This figure was slightly higher than that for 1988 but
there is no sign of a strong upward trend in settlement in the
UK.
Special measures for Hong Kong
8.
Confidence in Hong Kong has fallen in the last few years and was particularly undermined by the events in China in June
1989. This has been evident in the numbers of people leaving Hong Kong.
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990 (estimate)
19,000
30,000
45,000
42,000
60,000
About 24% of all emigrants are employed in the professional, technical, administrative and managerial category. This is disproportionately high since this category represents only
5.5% of the population of Hong Kong as a whole. In recent
years over 90% of all emigrants have gone to Australia,
Canada, or the United States of America.