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A.
I called on Alasdair Asprey on 6 September. He said that the SCMP report had been misleading. Clearly any special immigration privileges for British citizens did need to disappear by 1 July 1997. But he saw no need to rush this process. In any case he felt that, under the Immigration Ordinance, there was no great distinction between the rights of British citizens and those of other foreign nationals (excluding lower-paid individuals, working here as domestics or in labouring jobs). British citizens, once they had been here for 7 years, almost had a full right of abode, but other foreign nationals also could earn an unconditional stay after a similar period. The only real distinction was that British citizens could not be deported in a summary fashion even in criminal cases without going before a judicial tribunal; other foreign nationals however, could be summarily deported.
5. Mr Asprey saw two possible scenarios:
a) midnight legislation which would anyway be required for certain other parts of the Immigration Ordinance, to come into effect on 1 July 1997; or
introduction of the Legislation sometime during the last 12 months before 1 July 1997.
b)
an
He pointed out that there was plenty to keep the bureaucracy busy in the meantime in drafting other changes to the Immigration Ordinance. He repeated therefore that he saw no reason why this issue should come up too soon. In any case, important point, he did not wish to take away from British citizens their present rights until agreement had been reached with the Chinese on the general issue of right of abode post 1997.
6. I agreed with Mr Asprey that it would be helpful if his Branch could keep in touch with Francis Cornish as matters developed.
Youns
ever
Hugh
H Ll Davies
Encl
CC:
MVD, FCO
Alan Murray Esq, XAAA2d, DTI
Chancery Peking
UKRep, JLG
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