TNAG-2939-FCO40-4215-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-ethnic-minorities-1993 — Page 54

REGISTRATION OF CHILDREN OF "SPLIT" FAMILIES

The problem

Annex F

1. A number of ethnically Chinese British citizen parents in

Hong Kong are in the position of being able to transmit their

citizenship to children born in Hong Kong on or after 1.1.1983

(when the British Nationality Act 1981 came into force) but are

not able to transmit this citizenship to children born in Hong

Kong before that date.

2. As a result of pressure from Dr Leong and FCO on behalf of

these parents the Home Secretary agreed to relax our registration

potentially split, along

There was no blanket concession for these

criteria for families split, or

nationality lines.

families but it was explained that

individual registration

applications would be likely to succeed where the applicants had

British citizen siblings or the applicants or their parents had

strong residential or other links with the United Kingdom.

Line to take

3.

So far we

have received 190 applications involving 126

families.

Of these, 112 applications have been approved. None

have yet been refused, although a small number of applications

appear at first sight to be doubtful.

These are being put to one

side for further consideration after the bulk of applications

have been granted.