TNAG-1850-FCO40-2625-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 40

CODE 18-77

TOMARQ

Mr Harrington, NTD, CL501

Mr Moon, ECD(I), E117

Mr Moody, SED, E206

Reference

FILE.

copies sent

394

Mr Evans, MVD, CL424

Mrs Kellas, B4 Division, Home Office (by fax)

HONG KONG: FAC ENQUIRY: NATIONALITY

1. The Clerk to the FAC has asked for advice on the following points. It may be that we will need to provide a supplementary memorandum on at least the first point, if not the second. I should be grateful for any views/advice by close of play on Tuesday 13 June please.

2.

The questions are:

I.

What information can we provide on the position of EC member states in the following areas of immigration policy:

(a) on right of abode being granted in each country to non-EC nationals? (There has been a suggestion to the Committee that Spain has a privileged regime to allow South Americans to enter Spain without visas. If so, is this for settlement purposes? Would they then have access (after 1992) to the rest of the EC?).

(b) to what extent can individual member states follow their own independent immigration policies "in the light of the common format passport"?

[I imagine that the answer is "totally, until such time as immigration regimes may be harmonised"]

II. How many people around the world (except in Hong Kong) have right of abode in the UK, but are not expatriate Britons? (The Committee have noted press reports that up to 1 million South Africans may have right of abode here. The group Hong Kong link suggested to the Committee that there may be 10 million such people who have not exercised their right to come here. Is that so?).

HKB 011/3

RECEIV

12 JUN 1989

Wow

C T Wood

Hong Kong Department WH304

270 2655

8 June 1989