The presence of family members (spouse or other) in Hongkong does not give any right of residence or citizenship in the British Dependant Territories [ Information provided by the Citizenship Division of the Embassy of Great Britain in Ottawa, telephone conversation of 4 April 1990.]. Once a PRC citizen arrives in Hongkong, he or she must at first be legally recognized (which is done on an individual basis) by the Immigration Department of Hongkong [ Ibid.]. The Immigration Department then permits him or her to reside legally on the colony's territory [ Ibid.]. After 5 years of legal continuous residence in Hongkong (3 years for the spouse of a Hongkong citizen), the legal resident can apply for naturalization to the Immigration Department of Hongkong [ Ibid.].

This information could not be corroborated by the published sources currently available to the IRBDC in Ottawa.

In order to enter Hongkong for a visit, a PRC citizen must approach the British Embassy in Beijing, where an entry visa to Hongkong will eventually be issued [ Ibid.]. The visitor must also be in possession of a valid passport [ Ibid.]. In order to obtain a passport at the moment, a PRC citizen must receive a "political bill of good health" in order to determine the applicant's implication in the spring 1989 demonstrations [ U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1989, (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1990), p.817.].

The British government has suggested, in December 1989, to deliver British passports to between 150,000 and 200,000 Hongkongers [ Francis Deron, "Crise de confiance et fuite des cerveaux", Le Monde, 15 December 1989.]. The Chinese government replied to this proposal by announcing that United Kingdom passport holders in Hongkong would not be allowed to occupy top government positions [ John Elliott and Philip Stephens, "China to Bar UK Passport Holders From Top Hong Kong Jobs in 1997", Financial Times, 18 January 1990.]. Britain is reportedly attempting to encourage Hongkongers to stay in Hongkong after 1997 rather than to emigrate [ Steven Prokesch, "Few Willing to Help Britain Help Hong Kong Emigrants", The New York Times, 6 March 1990.]. On 19 April 1990, the British House of Commons approved a bill to offer refuge in the United Kingdom to 50,000 key people in Hongkong [ "U.K. Bill Gives Refuge to 50,000", The Globe and Mail, 20 April 1990, p.A5.]. The announcement, however, does not specify who these people are [ Ibid.]. There is presently a growing criticism in Hongkong against the British policies towards asylum for Hongkongers [ Nicholas D. Kristof, "In Hong Kong, a Deepening Sense of Despair and Betrayal", The New York Times, 23 April 1990.].