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responsibility for all passport work and for all "consular"/protection work. (BDTC and BN (O) registration will cease in 1997, though passport renewal for BN (0)s will continue).
7. We do however see a particular case for assuming responsibility for visa work well before 1997. In practical
terms this would enable staff of the BTC to iron out teething
problems to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. There
are also security considerations. It would be desirable for UK
staff to be in a position to exercise control over entry clearances at what could be a politically sensitive time in Hong
Kong, when there could be political pressures on HKID staff. It
would also be preferable to control access to our more sensitive
documents, such as the Visa Warning List and the Special Visa
Directive, which we would not like to see fall into Chinese
hands. The assumption of responsibilities previously carried out by HKID may mean that they will require less staff. If so we should certainly look at offering experienced locally engaged staff positions, on a selective basis; (although we have
explained to HKID, and they have accepted, that the more senior posts of Entry Clearance Officers will have to be filled by UK
based staff).
8. The immigration section (16 UK based and 32 locally engaged
staff members), would be rather less labour intensive than
passport section, requiring some 4 UK and 155 locally engaged
staff. But, according to the SOR for the new building, the
space requirements for immigration and visa section would still
amount to some 6400 sq feet (including public waiting areas). It would therefore prove an expensive business to consider taking on immigration work before the new building is
completed. This suggests that we should plan to take on visa
work as soon as the new building is operational, say in mid
1996.
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