CONFIDENTIAL
21. It is unlikely that colohies could accept the immigration
commitment resulting from granting citizenship to the
husbands of women who are citizens by connection with it.
The question whether a wife marrying a British Overseas
Citizen by connection with a dependency should have the
right to be registered must be left until the question of
the Convention on the Nationality of Married Women has been
settled (see corresponding reference to British Citizenship
).
in
Naturalisation
22. It has been suggested in the Green Paper that, as for
British Citizenship, there should be one process by which
adults may obtain British Overseas Citizenship, to be called
naturalisation. As foreshadowed in the Green Paper, this
should continue to be completely at the discretion of the
Governor; to confer any form of entitlement would add to
immigration problems. It is suggested that the residential
qualification should be altered to five years ordinary
residence, with discretion to reduce the period, and with
the existing requirements as to good character, knowledge of
the language (which may include an officially approved local
language) and intention to go on living in the dependency.
Naturalisation (as well as all forms of registration) should
confer citizenship by grant, which the purposes of trans-
mission to children born outside the dependency concerned
would be the equivalent of citizenship by descent.
Crown Service
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