Newly appointed Director of Immigration Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee revealed last night she has applied to forfeit her British passport in order to meet the nationality requirement for the sensitive post after the handover.
She said from Toronto she had sent an application to the British Home Office and approval was expected in a few weeks.
Mrs Ip, the first senior official to announce she was giving up foreign nationality, said: 'I hope to show my sincerity that I'm not just doing the job for a few months.
'I've thought about it for over 10 years.
'Any administrative officer wants to continue to serve the Government [after 1997].' An elated Mrs Ip, 46, said she felt honoured about the new job, although she was still a D6 grade officer with a monthly salary of $152,150.
The Basic Law lists the post of immigration chief as one of the senior and sensitive jobs that only Chinese nationals can hold.