1. By Order‑in‑Council P.C. 2115 of the 16th† of September, 1930, the Chinese wife and unmarried children under 18 years of age of a Canadian citizen are admis­sible to Canada. The Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver, B.C., has requested that the regulations be modified to permit the admission of wives and children under 18 years of Chinese residents of Canada, who have applied for Canadian citizenship but have not yet been naturalized; this to avoid hardship to the families of those who moved to Hong Kong following the filing of Declaration of Intention and before naturalization is actually granted to the head of the family.

2. Since the repeal of the Chinese Immigration Act on May 14, 1947, 523 persons of Chinese origin have been admitted to Canada, the majority being the wives and children of Canadian citizens. At present immigrants in this category are being admitted to Canada at the rate of about 60 per month. As residents of Canada who have obtained naturalization are now filing applications for the admission of their dependents at the rate of 80 per month, the number of admissions will increase proportionately.

3. During the 12 months period ended October 31, 1949, approximately 2800 Chinese have filed Declaration of Intention to become Canadian citizens. As fifteen months must elapse between the filing of the Declaration and the granting of natu­ralization, it can be assumed that during the year 1951 applications for the admis­sion of the dependents of these new citizens will average 230 per month.

4. Should it be decided to deal favourably with applications for the admission of families following the filing of Declaration of Intention, and assuming that the majority of cases relate to persons of good character who eventually will be granted citizenship, it is estimated that most of the 2800 Chinese referred to in paragraph (3) would promptly apply for the admission of their dependents. It would take the present Hong Kong staff eighteen months to process this number of cases. If we increase the staff to ten inspectional officers with appropriate clerical staff, the cases could be cleared in about four months. This number of families, however, could not secure transportation in anything approaching such a short period of time.

5. The Chinese Benevolent Association claim that the families of Chinese residents of Canada who have already applied for naturalization are quickly becom­ing destitute in Hong Kong where they are awaiting entry to Canada, through the unnatural conditions existing in the Colony. It is doubtful that any appreciable number of families in this category have left their homes in Kwang‑Tung Province to wait in Hong Kong for about fifteen months before being able to present them­selves for examination. The Immigration Officer‑in‑Charge in Hong Kong makes no reference to such a situation in his reports. He does, however, state that the number of approved cases reporting in advance for examination is becoming smaller, due, no doubt, to the conditions in the Province now completely dominated by Communist forces.

6. As approval of the proposal of the Chinese Benevolent Association of Canada recorded in paragraph (1) of this memorandum, would probably result in the depen­dents of Chinese residents of Canada moving from their homes in the Province of Kwang‑Tung to Hong Kong as soon as the head of the family applied for Canadian citizenship, and would mean approval by Order in Council for the admission of approximately 2800 families within a few months, it is recommended that the pro­posal be not approved. However, on humanitarian grounds and in order to prevent hardship to families that may have disposed of their homes and proceeded to Hong Kong in anticipation of being admitted to Canada, it is recommended that where a Chinese resident of Canada has applied for naturalization prior to December 1, 1949, is of good character and there is no likelihood of citizenship being refused, provision for the admission of his family be made by Order in Council waiving the requirements of P.C. 2115, provided it is established that the family has proceeded to Hong Kong prior to December 1, 1949¹¹

¹¹ Approuvé par le Cabinet les 21‑22 d6cembre 1949. Approved by Cabinet on December 21‑22, 1949.