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UNCLASSIFIED
050701
MDTTAN 5276
OFFICIALS TO INSPECT THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS. SIMILAR CHECKS ARE MADE AT THE END OF THE FIRST AND SECOND YEARS OF BMP MIGRANTS' RESIDENCE. IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT ENQUIRIES SUGGEST THAT AT LEAST 50 PER CENT OF RECENT BMP ARRIVALS HAVE SUCCEEDED IN ESTABLISHING A VIABLE BUSINESS WITHIN THEIR FIRST YEAR IN AUSTRALIA. THE NEWSPAPER DESCRIBED THIS AS A HIGH RATE AS IT MAY OFTEN TAKE THREE YEARS FOR THE VIABILITY OF A PROPOSED ENTERPRISE TO BE RESEARCHED. ON ASSOCIATED FUNDS, THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT'S CHECKS ALSO SUGGEST THAT THE MONEY BROUGHT INTO AUSTRALIA BY MIGRANTS UNDER THE BMP HAS BEEN CONSIDERABLY UNDERESTIMATED AND MAY WELL AMOUNT TO MORE THAN THE FIGURE OF AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS ONE MILLION PER DAY, CITED BY PRIME MINISTER HAWKE IN DEFENCE OF THE BMP TWO YEARS AGO.
3. TODAY'S (12 MARCH) AUSTRALIAN ALSO REPORTS THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS UNLIKELY TO AGREE TO A SPECIAL RESIDENCY ARRANGEMENT FOR HONG KONG EMPLOYEES OF AUSTRALIAN COMPANIES. THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN HONG KONG HAD SOUGHT AN ARRANGEMENT WHEREBY IMMIGRATION RULES COULD BE REDRAWN TO ALLOW AUSTRALIAN COMPANIES TO RETAIN THE SERVICES OF SKILLED HONG KONG EMPLOYEES BY OFFERING THE PROSPECT OF EASY RESIDENCY IN AUSTRALIA AS A SAFETY VALVE SHOULD ONE BE NEEDED. THE NEWSPAPER REPORTS THAT IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS IN HONG KONG AND CANBERRA HAVE SAID THAT THE ACCHK'S REQUEST IS UNLIKELY
TO BE GRANTED AS IT WOULD CUT ACROSS AUSTRALIA'S NON-DISCRIMINATORY POLICY WHICH MAKES NO PROVISION FOR SPECIAL CASES.
4.
SPD REGISTRY PLEASE COPY HKD.
SIGNED D G BLUNT
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སྣ་པཪ་-.
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