RESTRICTED
corporation should be invested in the Airport project. There has been no official reaction as yet, but the left wing press has been highly critical - another British trick.
Immigration/right of abode
5. We have lobbied the Australians to provide a right of abode scheme for Hong Kong people but, despite the importance of Hong Kong's continued stability and prosperity to Australia, the Australian Government have been unwilling to
set up a scheme specifically for Hong Kong. They take the view that their existing world-wide immigration policy gives sufficient flexibility and scope for certain categories of persons eg employees of Australian companies in Hong Kong and other businessmen, in practical terms to defer permanent residence in Australia for a number of years after having been
granted residency status. Such arrangements are excellent for
employees of Australian companies (who, once accepted for
migration, can keep open Australian residence by spending just
one day in Australia every five years), but for others not
ideal: the individuals concerned would have to spend a
proportion of their time in Australia, thereby disrupting their lives in Hong Kong. The Australians last year announced an end to the arrangements for business migrants, the Business
Migrants Programme (BM), which had been heavily criticised as
a way of buying entry to Australia and was also believed to be
open to abuse by organised crime. It was replaced on 17
February by a new Business Skill Category which vets the
business background of potential business migrants far more
rigourously than the old BM.
6.
The number of immigration applications received by the Australian Consulate in Hong Kong fell by 13% in 1990/91 as
compared with 1989/90. Confidence in Hong Kong and world recession discouraging people from emigrating. However, the
back.imm.roa.BIT
JEB
RESTRICTED
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.