Obtain prior entry clearance if they wish to visit the
United Kingdom. They are in fact free to enter without
prior entry clearance provided they satisfy the immigration
officer that they meet the relevant requirements of the
Rules. The entry clearance arrangements are a facility
available to those who wish to ensure their admission to
the United Kingdom before setting out from Hong Kong.
This contrasts with the mandatory visa requirement for
visitors from Hong Kong imposed by the United States.
though the United States will, in certain circumstances,
issue a multiple-visa valid for the currency of the
validity of the passport, this does not of itself entitle
the holder to gain admission.
Even
Most visitors to the United Kingdom from Hong Kong have no
difficulty in gaining admission without prior entry clearance.
In 1984 only one third of the 30,000 BDTCs admitted held
current entry clearances and despite the ready availability
of the facility only 550 multiple-visit entry clearances
were issued. This suggests that most genuine visitors who
may, in theory, have a need for this facility do not apply,
simply because they have no difficulty in entering the
United Kingdom without prior entry clearance.
It is against this background that we have to consider the
suggestion that the validity of multiple-visit entry
certificates should be extended to the life of the passport
in which they are entered. In effect, this would mean granting
entry certificates for up to ten years and I cannot regard this
as consistent with the requirements of the immigration control.
Entry certificates are issued on the basis of a careful
examination of all the circumstances at the time and much
can change in a period of ten years. It is essential to
ensure that an entry clearance continues to be recognised by
immigration officers as prima facie evidence of a person's
eligibility for entry to the United Kingdom. The issue of an
entry certificate for up to ten years' validity would devalue
its worth and lead immigration officers quite properly to probe
more deeply to see whether there has been any change in
circumstances which might lead to a refusal of leave to enter
under paragraph 13 of the Immigration Rules. Erosion of the
/value of
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