TNAG-2633-FCO40-3824-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-British-Nationality-(Hong-K-1992 — Page 69

November 1992

Private Secretary

CONFIDENTIAL

HONG KONG: LETTER FROM MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BONAS MACHINE COMPANY

204:

Thank you for your letter of 9 November enclosing another from Mr Ian Harris of Bonas Machine Company Limited.

I enclose a draft reply agreed with Home Office officials saying that the Prime Minister is unable to offer special treatment to outside the rules to any particular application for British citizenship under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act.

Hong Kong tell us that the two Hong Kong employees on whose behalf Mr Harris wrote applied under the British Nationality Scheme's occupational group of "engineering associate professionals" where competition was very keen. We should not disclose details to Mr Harris (they are confidential under the terms of the scheme). A total of 4,157 people applied for 1,031 places. Under the points system used to assess eligibility both candidates scored rather low marks.

These scores do not augur well for their chances under the second phase of the selection scheme.

There is no discretion available under the legislation to permit a candidate who failed in the points scheme to be recommended for citizenship except on the grounds that his occupation would make him vulnerable to persecution after 1997. No such grounds apply in this case. This is one of many requests for special consideration, which get fed through to Hong Kong in one form or another. The advice from Hong Kong, which we endorse, is that setting a precedent by

bonas.coltd.NAT

JEB

CONFIDENTIAL

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