IMMY
TAKD
From the Secretary of State
Dear John
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
2 November 1990
R01
Miss Marsden Miza pla
Wan Pa
Ражы 214
Thank you for your letter of 8 October enclosing
letters from Mr Martin Barrow, Mrs Ip Poon Kam-yee and
Mr Tom Hope about various issues of concern in Hong
Kong.
Mr Barrow and Mrs Ip Poon both express concern about
the recent amendment to paragraph 58 of the Immigration
Rules. As the Home Secretary assured the House on 15
May, the amendment is simply intended to clarify the existing provisions governing returning residents, not to
impose new conditions. It should have no effect on the position of people ordinarily resident here who wish to
resume their residence after a temporary absence. In
such circumstances, an Immigration Officer would normally
grant indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK.
There is no question of "a change of substance" as Mr Barrow and Mrs Ip Poon suggest.
However, it would not be right to leave anyone in
Hong Kong with the impression that the Rules are designed to enable people resident overseas to maintain settled
status in the UK simply by paying short visits to this
country once every two years. It has never been the case that a person who is neither settled in the UK nor
intending to settle, can qualify for admission as a
returning resident.
The Rt Hon John Biffen MP
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