TNAG-2371-FCO40-3446-Hong-Kong-nationality-UK-passport-scheme-British-Nationalit-1991 — Page 132

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FM BTC HONG KONG

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INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, JLG HONG KONG PEKIN

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076720

MDLIAN 9288

YOUR TELNO 28 TO HONG KONG:

UP

BRITISH NATIONALITY (HK) ACT: TAKE

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THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WILL NO DOUBT PROVIDE FACTS AND FIGURES AS WELL AS COMMENT. ONE OR TWO ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS FROM MY CONTACTS WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, AND PARTICULARLY THE BRITISH COMPANIES, MAY BE OF INTEREST.

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IT SEEMS CLEAR THAT THERE WILL BE A SURGE OF APPLICATIONS AS THE DEADLINE NEARS. A NUMBER OF COMPANIES ARE HOLDING SEMINARS FOR THEIR STAFF AND ARE GIVING GUIDANCE EITHER IN-HOUSE OR IN SOME CASES WITH PAID OUTSIDE ADVISERS, AND ARE SUGGESTING THAT THEIR STAFF AWAIT THESE BEFORE COMPLETING THEIR APPLICATION FORMS. SIMILARLY THE TAKE UP OF MANUALS MAY NOT BE SIGNIFICANT. MOST FIRMS HAVE BOUGHT SETS AND HAVE TOLD EMPLOYEES THAT THEY ARE FOR THEIR SHARED USE. FOR ALL THIS, A NUMBER OF SENIOR BUSINESSMEN HAVE TOLD ME THAT THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE THE ENTHUSIASM FOR THE SCHEME THAT THEY EXPECTED AND THAT IN SOME CASES KEY EMPLOYEES ARE NOT APPLYING. WHEN ASKED FOR REASONS, SOME HAVE SUGGESTED THAT THE COMPLEXITY OF THE SCHEME AND OF THE FORM HAS PUT SOME OFF. OTHERS HAVE SAID THAT WELL-QUALIFIED PEOPLE ARE NOW FINDING THAT THEIR OPPORTUNITIES ARE OPENING UP, WITH AS GOOD OR BETTER PROSPECTS OF GETTING PASSPORTS OR RESIDENTIAL RIGHTS ELSEWHERE AND THAT THESE ARE BEING FAVOURED. SOME SUGGESTED THAT GOOD MEMBERS OF THEIR STAFF WHO THEY WOULD EXPECT TO QUALIFY UNDER THE BRITISH SCHEME, ARE IN FACT CYNICAL AND PESSIMISTIC ABOUT THEIR CHANCES AND ARE SHOWING SOME RELUCTANCE TO APPLY: MUCH OF THIS RESULTING FROM A PERCEPTION THAT THE SCHEME LEANS TOWARDS GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES. AT A LUNCH SINCE RECEIPT OF YOUR TUR WITH TWO SENIOR HK CHINESE DIRECTORS OF A VERY LARGE GROUP (WARF) I ASKED HOW MANY EMPLOYEES THEY THOUGHT MIGHT APPLY FOR BRITISH PASSPORTS. THEY SAID 20 OR 30. WHEN I EXPRESSED INCREDULITY AND SAID I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED HUNDREDS AND PERHAPS THOUSANDS FROM SUCH A GROUP, THEY RESPONDED THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD BE OFF BY A FEW, BUT IT WOULD NOT EVEN BE HUNDREDS. I STILL FIND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE BUT IT COULD BE A

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