TNAG-1405-FCO40-1880-Future-of-Hong-Kong-passports-and-visas-1985 — Page 158

CONFIDENTIAL

DSR 11C

7. MVD have told us that some overseas governments are

becoming increasingly reluctant to continue to admit

British Nationals who do not have the right of abode in

the UK. An early testing point could be our forthcoming

negotiations with the Netherlands Government who have

asked for a renegotiation of our VAA with them.

Clearly,

a strong argument which we will need to deploy, with the

Netherlands or with any other government, is that all

British Nationals covered by a VAA have the right of

There is thus no question of such

abode somewhere.

persons being "non-returnable".

ALL BN (0)'s will be

returnable to Hong Kong and we expect BN (0) passports,

when issued, to refer to this.

Therefore, countries

would in no way be compromising their immigration

policies in allowing BN (0) passport holders to enjoy the

same facilities as BDTCs. A further point to drive home

would be that to encompass BN (0)'s within the terms of

VAA's would be a helpful measure of practical support to

follow up the wide spread acclaim which overseas

governments have given to the Hong Kong Agreement.

8. The Canadians may pose a particular problem. In 1983

the Canadian Government passed an Order in Council

precluding the issue of a visitor's visa to any person

whose passport and other travel document did not give the

holder the right to enter the country on whose authority

the document was issued. On this basis the Canadians

refuse to grant visas to BOCs, and will presumably also

CONFIDENTIAL