29 July 1991
Ms Almira Buemio
18 Witcombe
Yate
Bristol
BSL7 4SX
Dear Ms. Buemio,
HKD
340/4
Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
NAT
file.
Za
London SWIA 2AH
Telephone: 071-270-2654
attached
Thank you for your letter of 1 July. I am sorry for the delay in replying In your letter you mentioned you were in the process of doing a project about Britains' immigration policy towards Hong Kong. I hope the information given below
will be used constructively in your project.
First of all, the scheme embodied in the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990, is designed to encourage people to stay in Hong Kong, not to come to Britain. Talented and enterprising people are leaving Hong Kong in growing numbers. Countries like Canada and Australia which have selective immigration policies welcome the doctors, teachers, managers and engineers. This exodus of professional skill threatens both Hong Kong's prosperity and her good government during the last six years of British rule.
Almost all of these people would prefer to stay in Hong Kong. Almost all of them are ethnic Chinese. Their families, their careers and their businesses are all based in the territory. But they also want the assurance of a foreign passport which would enable them to settle abroad if they had to leave Hong Kong. at present, they normally gain such an assurance only by emigrating and settling in the country where they hope to acquire citizenship.
The
The Nationality Scheme itself is based on a points system whereby only the key people in Hong Kong will qualify. scheme was oversubscribed by 50%; there were 65, 831 applications for 40,000 passports in the first tranche. The second tranche of a further 10,000 passports will take place nearer to 1997. There were four categories applicants were able to apply under: The General Occupational Class (GOC), Disciplined Services Class (DSC), Sensitive Service Class (SSC) and Entrepreneurs Class (EC). The Home Office
JUDABZ
TG
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