TNAG-2871-FCO40-4125-Hong-Kong-immigration-policy-and-statistics-1993 — Page 131

CONFIDENTIAL

133731

MDLIAN 7376

INTERPRETATION, THERE WILL BE ABOUT 75,000 SUCH CHILDREN BY 1997 AND SOME 3,000-4,000 A YEAR THEREAFTER. EXCO HAVE DECIDED, AFTER CONSIDERING THE POTENTIAL IMPACT ON OUR EDUCATION AND HEALTH PROGRAMMES IN PARTICULAR, THAT WE SHOULD TRY TO SPREAD THE INFLUX BETWEEN NOW AND JULY 1997 IN ORDER TO PREVENT A SUDDEN AND

UNMANAGEABLE RUSH.

.

5. THE POLITICAL ADVISER CALLED IN CHEN RONGCHUN OF NCNA ON 5 JUNE, REHEARSED THIS BACKGROUND AND PROPOSED THAT THERE NOW BE AN INCREASE IN THE DAILY QUOTA OF ONE-WAY PERMITS FOR PERMANENT IMMIGRATION FROM 75 TO 100. EHRMAN PROPOSED THAT OF THE EXTRA 25 A DAY 15 PLACES SHOULD BE ALLOCATED TO THOSE WHO WOULD AUTOMATICALLY HAVE RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE SAR FROM 1 JULY 1997, WITH PREFERENCE GIVEN TO CHILDREN WITH BOTH PARENTS IN HONG KONG, AND THAT THE OTHER 10 PLACES BE FOR WIVES OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS WHO HAVE CHILDREN LEGALLY IN HONG KONG. HE ASKED, IF THE PROPOSAL WERE AGREED TO, FOR CHINESE ASSISTANCE IN VERIFYING THE STATUS OF THE CHILDREN WHO APPLY TO COME.

6. EHRMAN SAID THAT WE DID NOT PROPOSE AN INCREASE ABOVE 100 A DAY IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE WE WISHED CAREFULLY TO MONITOR THE IMPACT OF THE INCREASE FROM 75 TO 100 ON HONG KONG, AS WELL AS THE

EFFECT ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION OF WHAT MIGHT APPEAR TO BE A RELAXATION POLICY. BUT IF THE NEW SCHEME WERE AGREED TO AND OPERATED SMOOTHLY WE WOULD BE PREPARED TO REVIEW THE NEED FOR A FURTHER INCREASE AT A LATER STAGE. FOR YOUR OWN INFORMATION, WE ARE THINKING IN TERMS OF AN INCREASE TO 150 A DAY IF THE NEW

SCHEME OPERATES SMOOTHLY IN THE FIRST YEAR.

7.

CHEN RONGCHUN SAID THAT HE THOUGHT THAT THIS IDEA WAS

REASONABLE. IT WOULD BE A GOOD THING TO AVOID A MAD RUSH IN 1997. HE AGREED THAT THERE WOULD BE A NEED FOR CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE

TWO SIDES TO ENSURE THAT ONLY PEOPLE WITH THE RIGHT

QUALIFICATIONS CAME TO HONG KONG. HE UNDERTOOK TO REPORT TO

PEKING.

COPY OF EHRMAN'S SPEAKING NOTE BY BAG TO RICKETTS, HKD, AND COX, PEKING.

8.

PATTEN

YYYY

PAGE 2 CONFIDENTIAL