(ii) To give spouses of both sexes married to
citizens an entitlement to citizenship,
but make this subject to a residence
requirement of perhaps three years.
(iii) To treat spouses of citizens on exactly
the same terms as other applicants for
citizenship. This would mean that wives would have to qualify for citizenship in the same way that husbands do. It might be said that marriage should not of itself
entitle anyone male or female to take his or her spouse's citizenship particularly if the marriage no longer subsists, and that we should not assume that a spouse is automatically fitted for citizenship or that he or she is prepared to identify with this country; but that spouses of each sex should be treated on their merits.
(iv) To treat spouses of citizens on the same terms
as other applicants for citizenship, but to give both sexes some concession in the matter of residence - perhaps by requiring only three years instead of the normal five for naturali- sation. This would ensure that marriage to a citizen brought a real advantage without giving the unqualified entitlement which at present is conferred on women but not on men. This would be broadly in line with the approach which has been adopted by a number of other countries which have recently revised their nationality
laws.