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FM FCO 251730Z
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CONFIDENTIAL
(M & VD)
問
.116.
(28)
CONFIDENTIAL
TO IMMEDIATE GOVERNOR HONG KONG TELEGRAM NUMBER 307 OF 25 MAY.
YOUR TELEGRAM 153 OF 5 MARCH: IMMIGRATION BILL
1. WE HAVE GIVEN CAREFUL CONSIDERATION IN CONSULTATION WITH
THE OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED TO YOUR REQUEST
THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYMENT VOUCHERS/WORK PERMITS FOR UNITED KINGDOM PASSPORT HOLDERS IN HONG KONG AS A RESULT OF THE IMMIGRATION BILL. HOWEVER, I AM AFRAID THAT THIS HAS NOT BEEN FOUND POSSIBLE IN VIEW OF THE GOVERNMENT'S DECLARED POLICY THAT THERE MUST BE NO MORE LARGE SCALE IMMIGRATION INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM. THE ENTIRE COMMONWEALTH WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE NEW SYSTEM OF CONTROL, AND IT IS INEVITABLE THAT HONG KONG WILL HAVE TO BEAR ITS SHARE OF THE CONSEQUENT REDUCTION IN THE NUMBERS ADMITTED FOR EMPLOYMENT. THE FACT THAT, AS YOU POINT OUT, HONG KONG WOULD CERTAINLY MAKE UP THE FULL QUOTA OF WORK PERMITS, MEANS THAT IF THE CEILING FOR HONG KONG WERE MAINTAINED AT 300 PER YEAR INSTEAD OF THE PLANNED LEVEL OF 200 THE DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT WOULD FIND IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT
TO KEEP THE TOTAL INTAKE DOWN TO THE LEVEL OF 2000 WORK PERMITS PER YEAR WHICH MINISTERS HAVE PRESCRIBED.
2. ALTHOUGH THE NEW SYSTEM OF CONTROL WILL ONLY COME INTO EFFECT AFTER THE BILL PASSES INTO LAW, IT IS THE GOVERNMENT'S INTENTION
TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYMENT
VOUCHERS ISSUED ON THE SAME SCALE AS IS ENVISAGED FOR THE PERMANENT WORK PERMIT SCHEME OUTLINED IN TELEGRAM GUIDANCE 35. THIS INTERIM VOUCHER SCHEME IS BEING ANNOUNCED BY THE HOME SECRETARY IN PARLIAMENT AT 15.30 TOMORROW MAY 26 AT THE SAME TIME THAT HE ANNOUNCES AN INCREASED QUOTA OF SPECIAL VOUCHERS FOR UNITED KINGDOM PASSPORT HOLDERS OF ASIAN ORIGIN IN EAST AFRICA. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING TELEGRAM (GUIDANCE 116) CONTAINS DETAILED GUIDANCE ON THE HOME SECRETARYS STATEMENT.
13. WE TAKE
CONFIDENTIAL
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