ACCOUNTANTS, lawyers and engineers are likely to be allocated a greater share of the British Nationality Scheme because intense demand from the three groups has outstripped other professions.
More than half the territory's professional accountants and more than one third of its lawyers and engineers have so far applied for passports under the scheme.
It was introduced in December 1990 to help reduce the so-called ''brain-drain'' emigrations by allowing up to 50,000 local households to be registered as full British citizens without having to leave Hongkong.
Phase one of the scheme filled most of the places, and phase two planned for January 3 to June 30 next year is expected to fill the remaining 12,000.
Deputy Secretary for Security, Keith Kwok Ka-keung, said a greater share of places was likely to be allocated to high-demand groups which had experienced low success rates in the first phase of offers.
Professional bodies have been stumped by the demand because members had claimed to be confident about 1997.
But the head of Hongkong University's Department of Law, Professor Raymond Wacks, said: ''Some lawyers have been talking about a glut or even over-supply of lawyers. They could be economically motivated to go elsewhere, particularly to where their qualifications are recognised.'' Demand among accountants, lawyers and engineers has been higher than in other professions. Only demand from immigration services officers has been comparable, with almost 1,400 of the department's 3,500 officers applying.
