Mr Stephens, MVD CL 4
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Mr Rooney, NTCD Mr Kelly,
B4 Division, Home Office (Nationality Division)
HONG KONG/BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENSHIP
1. As 1997 approaches, BOCS in Hong Kong are increasingly looking to us for reassurance that their passports will indeed enable them to travel freely and will afford them protection in and away from Hong Kong.
(Mr
2. I attach copies of our latest correspondence with Hong Kong, in connection with a motion put forward for debate in LegCo and inspired by the Indian community in Hong Kong. Dinsdale is aware). We were not given much lead time to research the questions raised by Hong Kong on just which countries admit BOCs visa free. This is a question which will certainly come up again. I would be grateful for any clarification you can give. For instance, have we in the past, or are we now, actively negotiating other countries' acceptance of BOCS status when negotiating visa abolition agreements? If the answer is no, have the arguments for doing this been considered? What percentage of visa abolition agreements now in force specify that the British passport holder must have right of abode in the UK? (ie exclude BOCS).
3.
I would be grateful to you and copy addressees for your thoughts on any other avenues which we could profitably pursue to establish which countries will admit BOC passport holders visa free.
Deborah Barnes Jones
Hong Kong Department WH 312
telno 270.2068
17 November 1992
brit.citizen.NAT
JEB
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HKD 340/4
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