PERSONITL-IN CONFIDENCE
BRITISH NATIONALITY HONG KONG
Registration Programme for British Nationals (Overseas)
1. The Hong Kong (British Nationality) (Amendment) Crder
1993 is one of two Orders in Council relating to British
nationality in Hong Kong which the Home Office expect to
present together to Parliament later this month. (the other
makes adjustments to the second phase of the Selection Scheme
set up under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990 which will have the effect of ensuring that all 50,000 places are
taken up by enabling the transfer of unused places between the
four different classes).
2. The Order will prescribe cut-off dates (by age group) for the acquisition of British National (Overseas) (BNO) status, which will replace that of British Dependent Territory Citizens
(BDTC) after 1997. The first cut-off date (for 22-26 year
olds) would come into effect in the Autumn and deadlines would extend up until the end of 1996 with special arrangements for
children born in 1997. The Governor would have discretion to
accept late applications under certain circumstances (which are
not spelled out in the Order).
3.
We cannot be sure, but possibly as many as 3 million may chose to register as BN (0)s before 1 July 1997. Under 500,000 have applied to date. It would be impossible for HKG to deal with a rush of applications towards the 1997 deadline.
Ministers agreed in principle last summer that there should be
a phased scheme for registering BN (0) s so as to avoid a last
minute rush (and agreed in February that the Order in Council should be drafted and that the Home Office should aim to lay it before Parliament by the end of May.)
status.BRIEFS.NH/JRB