TNAG-2933-FCO40-4208-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-British-National-(Overseas)-1993 — Page 116

May 1993

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The Rt Hon Sir David Steel KBE MP

House of Commons

London SW1A OAA

As you know, Mr Frederick Fung and colleagues from the Association for Democracy and people's Livelihood called on Douglas Hurd and me this week. Among other things they expressed some concern about our intentions to introduce certain measures to cope/with the very large number of applications for British Nationality (Overseas) (BNO) status we

expect to receive between now and 1997. I believe he also raised these concerns with you. I thought you might find it

useful to have a little background to this issue.

We cannot be sure, but possibly as many as 3.5 million Hong

Kong people may choose to register as BNOS before 1997. Under 500,000 have applied to date. If millions of applications were

have

ir

It

made close to 1997, there would be no guarantee that the Hong Kong Immigration Department would be able to register all the x applicants before the power to do so ceases on 1 July 1997.

was against this background that we decided to introduce a

programme to phase the registration by means of prescribed

cut-off dates (by age group). This is a familiar mechanism in Hong Kong, used for the orderly issue of identity cards.

Governor would have discretion to accept late applications.

The

We

registration20.5/MIN/NJH

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