TNAG-2198-FCO40-3152-Hong-Kong-nationality-spouses-and-widows-of-British-expatria-1990 — Page 176

Donald Tsang JP

Director of Administration

Hong Kong Government

DRAFT

NTY/88 387/1333/1

WIVES OF BRITISH CITIZENS SERVING IN HONG KONG

You passed to Liz Grimsey a letter dated 7 March 1990 from a group

of Administrative Officers in the Hong Kong Government expressing concern about the nationality status of their non-British wives (copy attached for ease of reference).

As you know, the British Nationality Act 1981 requires a period of 3 years' United Kingdom residence by a non-British spouse in order to acquire British citizenship by virtue of marriage to a British citizen. However the Home Secretary does have discretion to waive

that residence requirement for the spouse of a British citizen in Crown or designated service outside the United Kingdom. Normally

he would not expect to do so except where the marriage has subsisted for 3 years; where the wife could not meet the United Kingdom

residence requirement in the foreseeable future; and where the

employing organisation could demonstrate that granting the application would be in the interests of the organisation and its

service to United Kingdom interests.

We receive a steady trickle of applications from the wives of men

in Crown or designated service all over the world although in the

last few years a number have come from Hong Kong. Very few such applications (other than those involving members of HM Diplomatic

Service) meet the criteria described above.

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