5.
NATIONALITY
In view of present level of Chinese hostility, should we not
give all Hong Kong people right of abode in the UK?
No. It would be irresponsible to give such an undertaking
which no future government could possibly meet.
Provisions for ethnic communities (primarily Indians) who risk
become stateless post 1997?
-
Open to all British Dependent Territory citizens to apply
for British citizenship under British Nationality (Hong
Kong) Act 1990.
-
The British Government is on record that if members of the
non-Chinese ethnic communities ever come under pressure to
leave Hong Kong in the future and have nowhere else to go, the government of the day would consider with particular sympathy any request for admission to the UK.
British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990
-
Scheme has successfully targeted key people. over 50% oversubscribed).
(First tranche
- As at 20 February, the Home Office Nationality Team in Hong
Kong had already registered over 23,000 beneficiaries as
British citizens. This number includes applicants from the General Occupational Class (66%), the Disciplined Service
Class (25%), the Entrepreneurs Class (0.5%), and the Sensitive Class (8.5%). The Home Office Nationality Team
has also received 20,870 passport applications.
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