THE Government is studying whether it is possible to consider expatriate staff as locals if they have been long term Hongkong residents.
Expatriate officers who have lived in the territory for at least seven years hope the move will spare them from being phased out under the current localisation programme.
The unusual move comes after repeated allegations from overseas civil servants that their rights are being infringed by the localisation policy.
The acting Secretary for Civil Service, Mr Stuart Harbinson, said the issue was complicated and the study would take several months to complete.
He said the Civil Service Branch would have to consider such factors as residency and other issues, including whether they had resorted to naturalisation by getting a British Dependent Territory Citizen (BDTC) passport, whether they spoke the language, where they had been educated and whether they were members of Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Servants.
If the status of expatriate servants was made equal to that of locals, it would create a problem for the current localisation programme which states that only locals are qualified for top posts as 1997 draws closer.
The announcement of the study was the first official response to allegations of possible infringement of the Bill of Rights made by expatriate civil servants, who say the move is jeopardising their career prospects.
