ONLY ethnic Chinese or naturalised citizens will be able to apply for loans under regulations limiting the scope of the Government's sandwich class housing scheme.
Adjustments to the scheme will also mean residents will have to declare any overseas properties they own when they apply for a loan of up to $500,000 from the Government to buy a new home.
Eighteen applications have been received since the scheme was launched last Friday.
The Housing Society, which administers the $2 billion scheme to help sandwich class families buy flats, said yesterday it was ''fine-tuning'' procedures to clear up misunderstandings.
The criteria states that the applicant must be a permanent resident of Hong Kong or entitled to a Hong Kong British passport.
It means that either the applicant must be an ethnic Chinese living here for more than seven years or, if not Chinese, he must have been naturalised in Hong Kong.
