TNAG-1842-FCO40-2617-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 41

PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTING THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION OF 1984

ON HONG KONG (FCO/FAC/3/89)

SUBMITTED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT

EMIGRATION

Background

1.

The Hong Kong Government does not ask people leaving the

territory the reasons for their journey. It does not therefore have available statistics on how many people leave Hong Kong to emigrate. In calculating the extent of emigration, it has to draw on the

following:

(a)

(b)

(c)

2.

applications for Certificates of No Criminal Conviction (CNCC) processed by the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, which are required by most destination countries;

visas issued by the main destination countries, according to statistics provided by their Consulates or Commissions in Hong

Kong;

statistics on the balance of movement of Hong Kong residents

provided by the Immigration Department.

The

Hong Kong has historically had a highly mobile population. large Chinese communities in many cities in Europe, North America, Australia and elsewhere bear witness to the exodus from Hong Kong in previous decades. Statistics prior to 1980 are incomplete, but suggest an average net outflow of some 30,000 for much of the 1970s. However, it is clear that in the past few years, there has been a higher level of emigration from Hong Kong than earlier in the 1980s. In the period 1981-6, the average rate was about 20,000 a year. 1987, the number increased to about 30,000 and in 1988 to about

45,800. The forecast for 1989 is 42,000.

In