The Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Blaker, KCMG MP
HKD 341/5 HOUSE
RF
1 JUL 1988
-HOUSE OF COMMONS
F
LONDON SWIA OAA
Has
38
Ps/hard Glener Is
14th July 1988
Mr Gillmoe
WMC
ryclaren
Rossen Dineof
I have been stimulated by my experience of Hong Kong to write to you with some thoughts about our immigration policies.
APS
18
Hong Kong is full of intelligent, educated, energetic Hong Kong Chinese. Many of them are now emigrating to Canada, Australia and the United States. Over the years this is going to 7
do the economies of those countries a lot of good. These people do not come here because they are not allowed to, or believe they are not allowed to.
Instead of having an immigration policy based on keeping people out, should we perhaps be thinking of making one aspect of our policy dependent on selecting people to come here who would be beneficial to the receipient country, in our case the United Kingdom? This, I understand, is a question which looms large in the policies of Canada, Australia and the United States. As a result they get high quality people. We, I believe, get a large proportion of dependent people or others who will make little positive contribution to the United Kingdom.
I have mentioned so far only people from Hong Kong. What I have to say is, I believe, of general application, regardless of the country of origin.
It is, I believe, true that someone who wants to have the right of abode here can, if he or she invests a certain minimum sum here, acquire the right of abode, and after five years of residence, a United Kingdom passport. I am not clear in what way this rule differs from the rules in the other three countries mentioned, but the difference appears to be a crucial one judged by the results. Hong Kong Chinese do go there. They don't come here.
I would be interested to have your reaction to the idea outlined in the third paragraph above.
I am sending copies of this letter to Geoffrey Howe and
Tim Renton.
The Rt. Hon. Douglas Hurd, CBE MP.,
Home Office.
Enter + pr. (Nationality) Mr Wood Wit
A recurring
theme
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