TNAG-0988-FCO40-1207-Policy-on-visas-and-entry-certificates-in-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 81

CONFIDENTIAL

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1. When I wrote to Paul Sleightholme on 5 March 1979 I explained some of the difficulties faced by our visa section in coping with the increasing workload, and suggested some ways in which the pressure might be eased through procedural changes. Through his reply((133) in IMM/CR 1261) of 23. harch 1979 it was agreed that we could stop issuing transit visas to private travellers with visas for onward destinations: our other proposals, involving official PRC travellers, ran into the sand for various reasons and I do not wish to return to those at the moment.

2. The number of visas issued to officials travelling to and through Hong Kong increased throughout 1979 and is now running at a level of approximately 40 per day. The processing of these visas is however, a fairly routine matter, and we can cope with a certain increase (although you yourselves have pointed out that on a number of occasions we have failed to notice and give you advance warning of important visitors).

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3. We are, however facing a very serious problem in coping with a flood of private visa applications, both posted and personal. present there are approximately 20 - 25 callers per day (who are obliged, owing to lack of space in our visa office, to wait in a queue in bitterly cold winds outside) and an equal number of letters (nearly all of which require translation). This is approximately 10 times the number we were dealing with in February 1979 when

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