CONFIDENTIAL
D.
BRITISH CITZENSHIP
PERMANENT ARRANGEMENTS
FOR ACQUISITION ETC
General Characteristics
37. As has been said above, British Citizenship will be the status of
people closely connected with the United Kingdom. It will confer on the
holder of it the right to enter and remain in the country without restriction.
In this way we should move towards equating that right with citizenship, and
so ending the confusion which has existed on this score since it first becɛ.me
necessary in 1962 to limit the right of entry of certain Commonwealth citizens
and Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies.
38. Apart from this, the Bill, by establishing a British Citizenship, will
make available a ready definition of those people who have a close connection with the United Kingdom. At present there is no satisfactory way of
defining which people 'belong' to the United Kingdom for international or
other purposes.
39. In framing the legislation the Government have been concerned that
applicants should demonstrate a real connection with the United Kingdom
and suitability for its citizenship. They do not think, for example, that
simply because a person has lived in the country for a set time he ought to
be able on that ground alone to claim our citizenship. Following the publica-
tion of the Green Paper some correspondents pressed for the re-introduction of
the entitlement, which Commonwealth citizens formerly had, to obtain citizen-
ship after living here for 5 years. The Government accept that after a
definite period people whose stay in the country is free of conditions ought
to be enabled to apply for our citzenship; but they think nonetheless that
applicants should be expected to demonstrate a real intention to throw in their
lot with this country.
40.
Some of the more important features of the proposed new British
Citizenship are dealt with in the following paragraphs.
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