TNAG-2183-FCO40-3120-Hong-Kong-nationality-international-support-1990 — Page 69

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FM WASHINGTON

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2634

OF 30001OZ OCTOBER 90

RESTRICTED

HKD 34

RECEIVED INDE

by

3 0 OCT 1990

DESK OFFICER

REGISTR

INDEX

PA

Action Taken

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, PER

PEKING

389

012055 MDHIAN 6611

385

TOP COPY Q DIST?

OUR TELNO 2560? INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR HONG KONG

1. ON 27 OCTOBER CONGRESS PASSED THE 1990 IMMIGRATION ACT. THE FINAL TEXT HAS NOT YET BEEN PRINTED, BUT CONGRESSIONAL STAFFERS HAVE TOLD US THAT THE HONG KONG PROVISIONS ARE LARGELY AS FORESHADOWED IN TUR, NAMELY:

THIS

(I)

THE ANNUAL QUOTA FOR HONG KONG WILL BE 10,000 VISAS PER YEAR FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS, RISING THEREAFTER, IN A NEW FORMULATION, TO QUOTE THE FULL PER COUNTRY CEILING UNQUOTE. CEILING WILL, WE UNDERSTAND, BE CALCULATED AS SEVEN PER CENT OF THE OVERALL QUOTAS FOR QUOTE IMMEDIATE FAMILY PREFERENCE UNQUOTE IMMIGRANTS, AND SKILLED WORKER CATEGORY IMMIGRANTS. STAFFERS HAVE TOLD US THAT THIS COULD AMOUNT TO AN ANNUAL HONG KONG QUOTA APPROACHING 25,000.

(II)

12,000 VISAS PER YEAR FOR THREE YEARS, BEGINNING 1991, WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO HONG KONG RESIDENTS WHO ARE EMPLOYEES OF US BUSINESSES, WITH A JOB OFFER FROM A US COMPANY.

(III)

(IV)

VISAS ARE EXTENDED UNTIL DECEMBER 2001.

THERE ARE SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR THE LOCALLY EMPLOYED

STAFF OF THE US CONSULATE GENERAL.

COMMENT

2.

WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY STAFFERS THAT THE REDUCTION IN THE QUOTA TO 10,000 FOR THREE YEARS WAS ONLY AGREED BECAUSE BECAUSE IT IS BALANCED BY THE PROVISION OF 12,000 ADDITIONAL VISAS FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF US FIRMS. THE EVENTUAL TOTAL QUOTA LOOKS LIKE BEING MORE GENEROUS THAN ORIGINALLY ENVISAGED (ALTHOUGH WE UNDERSTAND IT COULD FLUCTUATE IN ACCORDANCE WITH CHANGES IN THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY PREFERENCE TOTAL).

3. OVERALL THIS IS A HIGHLY SATISFACTORY OUTCOME. A FEW MONTHS AGO FEW WOULD HAVE BELIEVED THAT THE MORRISON BILL WHICH GOT OFF TO A SLOW START - WOULD EVER HAVE BEEN ENACTED. ALTHOUGH OUR PROPOSAL FOR A TEN YEAR VISA DID NOT RUN, MANY OF THOSE WITH WHOM WE DISCUSSED IT, ON THE HILL AND IN THE ADMINISTRATION, EXPRESSED THE PERSONAL VIEW THAT, IF EVENTS TURNED SOUR IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997, IT WOULD ALWAYS BE POSSIBLE TO AMEND THE LEGISLATION TO EXTEND THE PERIOD WITHIN WHICH THOSE AWARDED VISAS COULD USE THEM. WE WILL FAX A COPY OF THE HONG KONG PROVISIONS TO HONG

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