Foreign &
Commonwealth
Office
London SWIA 2AH
Fill!!
だい
ра
миль
1 July 1993
Mr Wilson Lee
5/F Flat 10
HKD 340/10
Telephone: 071-
REC
5 Pan Hoi Street
01 JUL 1993
Quarry Bay
Hong Kong
IN
Dear Mr Lee,
Your letter of 18 June to Her Majesty the Queen about British nationality for Hong Kong ex-servicemen and their families has been passed to this Department for reply.
The British Government fully recognize the loyalty to the Crown and the contribution to the war effort in World War II made by Hong Kong servicemen. During the passage of the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990, Parliament debated very fully the immigration and nationality status of former servicemen from Hong kong and of their wives and widows. However it was decided not to exempt these people from the residential requirements prescribed by the British Nationality Act 1981. Instead the Home Secretary gave assurances that these people would be allowed to come to the United Kingdom to settle at any time in the future and to apply for British citizenship in the usual way. These assurances still stand.
In your letter you criticize the British Nationality Scheme for ignoring ex-servicemen and their families. This scheme was introduced to encourage key people in the public and private sectors from leaving Hong Kong and to give them confidence to remain there
so that they continue to contribute towards the territory's success and prosperity. The scheme operates under a point system and the successful applicant tends to be well below retirement age and in active employment in one of a number of key sectors. The Scheme was never designed to provide British citizenship to ex-servicemen and their families.
I hope that you will find the above explanation useful.
J Woodrow
HONG KONG DEPARTMENT