TNAG-2168-FCO40-3105-House-of-Commons-Foreign-Affairs-Committee-inquiry-into-Hong-1990 — Page 228

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British National came under pressure to leave Hong Kong in the

future, and had nowhere to go, we would expect the government of the

day to consider their case for admission here with considerable and

particular sympathy. The Government stand by that commitment.

27. The Committee recommended that the immigration rules should be

changed so that periods spent by Hong Kong British Students studying

in the UK for recognised qualifications at tertiary level or above

should count towards "residency" (paragragh 4.24). The Government

have interpreted this to mean that such periods of study should lead

to settlement in the UK. Under the immigration rules, students are

regarded as coming here for a temporary purpose and admission as a

student does not provide an avenue to settlement. The Government

see no reason to depart from this principle in the case of students

from Hong Kong and therefore do not propose to implement the Committee's recommendation in this regard. It is worth noting,

however, that if a person who has been in the UK as a student achieves settlement by some other means (for example, by marriage)

and then applies for citizenship, the period spent here as a student

can be counted towards the residence requirement for citizenship.

VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

As

28. The Government welcome the Committee's analysis of this

problem. Since 1975, nearly 170,000 Vietnamese boat people have arrived in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has continued to operate a policy

of first asylum. No asylum seekers have ever been turned away.

the Committee rightly states, the Hong Kong Government had no

alternative but to introduce a screening policy in June 1988 (paragraph 5.2). The introduction of screening was precipitated by a major new influx of boat people in 1987 and 1988 and by a change

in the pattern of arrivals.

29. In 1989 34,000 Vietnamese asylum-seekers arrived in Hong Kong, bringing the total number to over 57,000 by the end of last year.

down on last

So far this year the number of new arrivals is

is (wet) down year's figures K1250 in the period up to 27 April, compared to over

CATAAU (12)

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