TNAG-2644-FCO40-3837-Emigration-from-Hong-Kong-overseas-rights-to-abode-and-passp-1992 — Page 76

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LORD CAITHNESS' WORKING DINNER WITH AUSTRALIAN

FOREIGN MINISTER, SENATOR GARETH EVANS: 19 MARCH 1992

Background/key facts

Immigration/right of abode

1. The Australian Government are sympathetic to the problems Hong Kong faces. They are one of the major trading partners of Hong Kong and they realise that it is in their

own national interests to keep Hong Kong prosperous.

2. The Australian community in Hong Kong is 10,000 strong and there are 300 Australian companies based there.

Hong Kong is Australia's fourth largest market for exports,

their third largest source of migrants and their largest

source of business migrants.

3.

However, 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 worldwide 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 (BMP), which had been

heavily criticised as a way of buying entry to Austalia and

was also believed to be open to abuse by organised crime.

JH2ADR/3

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