TNAG-2198-FCO40-3152-Hong-Kong-nationality-spouses-and-widows-of-British-expatria-1990 — Page 189

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[Action TaRE-

Mr Harrington

Mrs Grimsey Mr Paul (FCO)

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Agree Allo Mr Morfin Mr Haguely

This looks reasonable

to me.

WIVES OF BRITISH CITIZENS SERVING IN HONG KONG

W/31/5

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to comment on your letter of 11 May to Alan Paul and attached draft letter to Donald Tsang.

Questions about the naturalisation of the wives of British

Citizens are entirely a matter for you but I do have some doubts about this approach. The main difficulty is that you are asking questions which seem to me to be unanswerable. Hong Kong may well find something to say but I doubt if we could put much weight on their replies. Moreover, the fact of the approach as well as the terms in which it is written will inevitably raise. expectations in Hong Kong that the spouses of British Citizens in public service there will have a ready route to citizenship. It could be argued that in the particular circumstances of Hong Kong the third criterion you list (which must in practice be the main regulator) would be satisfied in most cases as granting the spouse citizenship would tend to anchor the British Citizen in the Colony. It seems likely to be better to make a decision

about how best to exercise the discretion on the residence

requirements in Hong Kong cases without involving HKG in this

way.

When this is put to Ministers I suggest it needs to be set in a fairly broad context being careful not to risk policy on Hong Kong developing in too fragmentary a way. We foresaw that the position on expatriate spouses would be very difficult. We know

that the concession to widows and widowers has not satisfied the

lobby and there is continuing pressure for the spouses of British Citizens to qualify for citizenship on the basis of residence in Hong Kong. This is proving a difficult line to hold and I am

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