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Chief Clerk
Clerk
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PS/CPS Private Secretary
NEW NATIONALITY LAW: CITIZENSHIP FOR CHILDREN OF CERTAIN CATEGORIES
PROBLEM
1.
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Should the FCO agree with the Home Office proposals for dealing
with transmission of citizenship to children born abroad of certain
categories for whom the FCO has an interest the British Council,
HM Overseas Civil Service, British employees of international
organisations, OSAS personnel working on aid projects overseas,
UK expatriates working for colonial governments?
the
RECOMMENDATION
2. I recommend that the FCO should agree with these proposals as
set out in the attached draft from the Secretary of State or the
Lord Privy Seal to the Home Secretary. I should be grateful if a
letter could leave before the weekend if possible as the IIome
Secretary aims to send the bill to the printer very early next week.
All the FCO departments concerned agree except for ECD(I) who think
that better treatment should be given to British citizens employed
by the European Commission. Their view is attached.
BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENT
overseas
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3. Generally speaking the new nationality law will limit
transmission of British citizenship to the first generation born
that is, only a parent (father or mother) born in the UK
will be able to transmit citizenship to a child born overseas. But
if British citizen parents who were not born in the UK have a child
born overseas they will be entitled to register their child as a
British citizen after 3 years residence in the UK with the child
during his minority. In giving British citizenship to the child
/born
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