CONFIDENTAL
section 2 of the Immigration Act 1971) would, as a result of the
Government's proposals lose that right: those Commonwealth citizens who at
present have the right of abode in this country under the Immigration Act
would continue to enjoy that right for their lifetime.
Eligibility for Citizenship of the British Dependent Territories.
23. In parallel with the arrangements for the acquisition of British
Citizenship when the Act comes into force, the Citizenship of the British
Dependent Territories would be acquired by those Citizens of the United Kingdom
and Colonies who have that citizenship by reason of their own, or their
parents', or their grandparents' birth, natúralisation or registration in an existing dependency or Associated State. The provisions are set out in greater detail in paragraph 35
Eligibility for British Overseas Citizenship
24. British Overseas Citizenship would be acquired by all those Citizens
of the United Kingdom and Colonies who do not become British Citizens or
Citizens of the British Dependent Territories.
25. These fall into two main groups. The first, and much the smaller,
consists of people who acquired citizenship by descent from an ancestor (not closer than a great-grandfather) born in the United Kingdom or a dependency. The second, which is very numerous indeed (the numbers cannot be definitely established but may be about 1.5 million altogether) owe their
citizenship to their connection with a former dependency. Of the second group the great majority live in Malaysia, and most of them also have Malaysian
Citizenship.
26. The Government are aware of the strength of feeling in some quarters
that those Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies overseas who at present
have no other citizenship and no ties with, or right of entry to, the United Kingdom or an existing dependency should become British Citizens with the right of entry into the United Kingdom rather than British Overseas Citizens. But if this group,.of which the United Kingdom passports holders from East Africa form the minority, were to have British Citizenship the potential immigration commitment would be so large as to be quite unacceptable.
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