TNAG-1405-FCO40-1880-Future-of-Hong-Kong-passports-and-visas-1985 — Page 27

191.

GVV MEX/341/1

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Ms Walker HKD 312

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Mr Thompson, MCAD, K 366

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040/28

99

HONG KONG BDTCS: MEXICAN VISA REQUIREMENT

1. Thank you for sending me a copy of the letter from Mrs Dee, Immigration Department, Hong Kong, about Mrs Patricia Lui's dealings with the Mexican Consul in New York.

2. It may be helpful to you in considering this problem to know that in requiring a visa of HKBDTCs the Mexicans are not departing from the letter of UK/Mexico Visa Abolition Agreement (1959). Article 2 of the latter provides visa free entry only to the holders of British passports bearing on the front cover "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", or "Jersey' or "Guernsey" and the national status of "British Subject, Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies" or "British Subject, Citizen of the United Kingdom, Colonies and Islands".

3.

We do not intend to renegotiate Visa Abolition Agreements (VAAS) following the coming into force of the British Nationality Act (BNA) 1981 and have informed all foreign and Commonwealth Governments that we shall interpret the VAAS (and indeed all legislation mentioning former status under previous BNAs) in the light of the 1981 Act. Therefore, since the bilateral VAA was never extended to Hong Kong we cannot now claim that HKBDTCs are exempt from visas. It will be of cold comfort to Hong Kong to know that the Mexicans have since 1984 required BDTCs of the Cayman Islands to submit to a visa regime and have recently imposed visas on BDTCs of Bermuda.

10 July 1985

CODE 18-77

*

Praccur

R J Miller

Migration and Visa Department

WRONG FI4.

HKK 040/28

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

1 1 JUL 1985

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

REGISTRY

Actic Taken