From:
A R Rawsthorne IND
Lunar House
3822 2733
26 June 1992
CONFIDENTIAL
HILD-2A/10 340/1
сс
Mr Dolphin Mr Langdon Mr Hammond Mr Moorey Mr Osborne Mr Hayzelden Mr Walmsley Miss Weston Mrs Keswick Mr Ruffley Mr Kinney
1.
Ms Hutcheon
2.
Miss Hellmuth
-
HONG KONG PROGRAMME FOR REGISTERING BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORY CITIZENS (BDTCS) AS BRITISH NATIONALS (OVERSEAS) (BNOs)
The purpose of this submission is to inform Ministers of a
scheme being proposed by Hong Kong, which they want to put to the
Executive Council there next month to ensure the orderly and
timely acquisition of BDTC and BN (0) status by those who wish to acquire it before Hong Kong reverts to China in 1997. We have reservations about some of the details but the submission seeks
Ministerial endorsement of the scheme in principle. The FCO are
keen to give the go ahead to Hong Kong by the end of the month.
THE PROBLEM
2. The Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986 provides for
the status of Hong Kong British Dependent Territory Citizen to
end on 1 July 1997 and for HKBDTCs to acquire British National
(Overseas) status before that date. The Hong Kong immigration
authorities say that so far only 0.3 million of the estimated 3.3
million BDTCs who are or will be eligible for BN (O) status have
obtained BN (0) passports. There are some 1.7 million BDTC
CONFIDENTIAL
48