6. The UK and the Hong Kong Governments are approaching the
Schengen countries with a view to ensuring Hong Kong residents
holding BN (0) and HKBDTC passports will continue to enjoy the visa-free facilities presently offered, and to persuading Portugal, France and Germany to lift their requirements.
7.
The Acting Political Adviser, accompanied by officials from
Security Branch and Immigration Department, met the Consuls
General (or in some cases, their representatives) of the 9 signatory countries to the Schengen Convention in Hong Kong on
11 August to draw their attention to our concern at the prospect
of a CVL visa regime for Hong Kong and ask them to persuade
their governments not to impose such a visa regime on visitors
from Hong Kong. We urged them to pay particular attention to the following considerations:
BDTCS and BN (0)s are holders of British passports;
They have an excellent record of good behaviour and paying their way;
-
They are returnable to Hong Kong, where they have right of
abode. The Joint Declaration guarantees that this will continue
after 1997;
- there is no history of illegal immigration from Hong Kong to
Europe. People from Hong Kong are not an immigration problem. Hong Kong has tough and efficient immigration and internal
controls
-
including a compulsory ID card system which act as
a deterrent to would-be illegal immigrants. To prevent Hong Kong being used as a transit point by would-be illegal
immigrants and asylum seekers, Hong Kong also reinforces
controls on persons in direct transit who remain air-side, precisely to make illegal immigration through Hong Kong even
harder;
visa.ec.NAT
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