Reference.
RESTRICTED
8
Mr Stephens
Migration and Visa Department
CL 420
VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR BRITISH NATIONAL (OVERSEAS) PASSPORT HOLDERS FROM HONG KONG VISITING AUSTRIA AND MAURITIUS
1.
6
I sent you a copy of telno 203 from Hong Kong to which I have sent a holding reply. As we discussed I am now attaching a draft substantive reply to Hong Kong which we would like to discuss at our meeting on 24 February.
2. I have now managed to find most of the background papers relating to our previous contacts with the Austrians on this matter. Most of the points made in our draft have been made before. As our talks with the Austrians on this matter fizzled out in 1991 we assume that there is no harm in reminding them of these points.
3.
There is an an additional point which we could make to the Austrians in support of our demarche. This is about the long-standing administrative arrangements between the UK and the Benelux authorities for the return to the UK of British Hong Kong passport holders deported from Benelux countries. The UK in turn removes them to Hong Kong at HMG's expense, and Hong Kong withholds travel documents from such deportees until they repay the repatriation costs. Extending this arrangement to Austria was suggested by Hong Kong in their telno 220 of 21 January 1991. But you may not be in favour of doing this in case Hong Kong does not honour its side of the bargain after 1997. We should be interested to have your department's views on this.
| Woodrow
f
J Woodrow
Hong Kong Department
19 February 1993
visabol.austria.MIN
JM
CODE 18-77
P. Rouchette
NTCD
RESTRITED