(ii)
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women Commonwealth citizens who have the right of entry at present because, and only because, their husbands have the right of entry;
(iii) citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies from
overseas who were at one time settled in the United Kingdom and resident here for 5 years, but who cannot meet the residence qualifications for British Citizenship.
Although it is intended that only British Citizens should have the right of entry to the United Kingdom, there might be a case for making some exceptions for the people in these groups and allowing them to retain their present right of entry for their lifetimes.
British Citizenship and the right of free movement within the European Community
30.
The establishment of a British Citizenship would make it necessary to re-examine, in consultation with our partners, the present definition of United Kingdom national for European Community purposes. If the transitional arrangements suggested above were to be enacted, there would be some people who would become British Citizens but who have not the right of free movement under the definition now in force. These would include those citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies from overseas who have been settled and resident in the United Kingdom for less than five years, the British Protected Persons, and (for the most part) the British Subjects without Citizenship resident in the United Kingdom.
A BRITISH CITIZENSHIP
PERMANENT ARRANGEMENTS
31.
These would be the arrangements for acquiring British Citizenship by birth, descent or a voluntary act, such as applying for naturalisation, once a new scheme of citizenship had come into force. There is a wide range of possible courses to be considered. Some ideas are set out below.
(a)
Citizenship by birth
32.
The United Kingdom, in common with the USA, Latin American and many Commonwealth countries, at present confers citizenship on everyone who is born in the United Kingdom (or indeed in the Colonies), irrespective of their parents' citizenship. In contrast, Continental countries confer their citizenship on those born in their territories only if the child's parent is himself (or herself) a citizen of the country. These two methods of conferring citizenship are known respectively as the ius soli and the ius sanguinis.
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