confirm the long-standing meaning of these provisions. not represent any change in policy or practice.
They do
these provisions are intended to enable people who live in this country to go abroad for up to 2 years before coming back to live here. It was never intended to allow people resident overseas to perpetuate settled status in this country by making short visits once
every 2 years.
be
passengers who have been away for less than 2 years and who are returning to live here will normally admitted without any further enquiry. On the other hand, a person who is neither settled in the United Kingdom nor intending to settle will not qualify for admission as a returning resident, and indeed would not have done under the corresponding provisions of the previous Rules.
to put all this in perspective, I should perhaps point out that over 600,000 passengers are admitted to this
country as
each returning residents
year. introduction of the new Rules has made no practical
difference whatever.
The
indeed the number of
from Hong Kong who we
admitted Passengers as returning residents.
has been steadily incrasing ing recent years,
and has contwined to do to
since the
new
rules
were
introduced
1987
2,180
1988
2,600
1989
3,500
1990
:
4,320
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