MANAGEMENT IN CONFIDENCE
77
Mi M
From:
Miss R J Spencer
Date:
17 October 1991
+
par
про
cc:
Mr Montgomery
MVD
bo se aware
MADRID
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ENTRY CLEARANCE
Mr Madden, SED Mr Paul, HKD MRS
HKB 345/1
1. During my visit to Madrid for the Consular Conference last week I took the opportunity to call on the Consular Section and talk to the two LEIII entry clearance staff.
2.
Their job is not an easy one. Although, as you know, the total number of entry clearances issued annually should be well within the capacity of two LEIIIS - with the few Tier 3 interviews being handled by the DS7 - there are special factors. The two LEIIIs act as receptionists. The Gibraltar government recently insisted that all visa issues for Gibraltar must be referred. There are a considerable number of visa applications for Hong Kong, most of them Chinese citizens with little or no English or Spanish. It is difficult for the LEIIIS to avoid some involvement in completing their application forms.
3.
But
Both ladies are clearly hard working and conscientious, and they have Best Practice in the backs of their minds. I had very much the impression of muddling through. The Post management have until now taken the view that conclusion of the EFC, by removing the need for third country nationals to hold visas for individual EC member states, would greatly reduce their burden by about 1993. I said I thought it might well take longer than that before the EFC was ratified and entered into force. In the meantime we needed to see what could be done to improve matters.
4.
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I am
I encouraged the Post to write to you/SED about what appear to be unreasonably stringent requirements by the Gibraltar government. Cutting the burden of referrals would help a good deal. I cannot myself see why very short term - eg one or two day visitors to Gibraltar should not be issued visas at the frontier by the Gibraltarians themselves. sure we should take up this matter with the Gibraltar government. On the Hong Kong visa front I think the Post should be equipped with bilingual English/Chinese forms (which Marian Binnington tells me are available in Los Angeles). It might help if the Post handed out with the forms a covering slip in Chinese making it clear that if the forms were not properly completed, and the applicant did not bring an
MANAGEMENT IN CONFIDENCE