be proposed that a child born in a dependency shall become a Citizen of the British Dependent Territories, with perhaps an exception similar envisaged for British Citizenship in paragraph 44, where neither parent ords Citizenship of the British Dependent Territories and neither is free of immigra- tion control. In naturalisation, the language requirement would differ slightly from that proposed for British Citizenship in that an applicant would be able to qualify by his knowledge of a language recognised in the dependency for official purposes as an alternative to English. Provision will also be made for people in Crown Service under the Colonial Government to be naturalised at the discretion of the Governor.
101. It is likely that in other respects, for example, for citizenship by descent in both the male and female lines and the registration of minor children, and for resumption, renunciation and deprivation, the provisions will be on the same lines as are described for British Citizenship.
Right of Entry to Dependencies
102. It will be necessary, because of the need of dependencies to impose controls on immigration, to restrict the right of entry to each of them to those Citizens of the British Dependent Territories who are such by reason of a connection with that territory.
F. BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENSHIP
General
103. The nature of British Overseas Citizenship has been referred to in paragraph 36 above. In essence it is that British Overseas Citizenship represents the relationship with the United Kingdom held by people connected with countries which were once part of the British Empire; or whose ancestral con- nections with the United Kingdom or its present dependencies are not sufficiently close to qualify them for British Citizenship or Citizenship of the British Depend- ent Territories. When the Bill comes into force all Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies who do not qualify for British Citizenship or Citizenship of the British Dependent Territories would become British Overseas Citizens. It would be contrary to the general principles to be embodied in the new Act to include a general provision for people with these distant connections to pass on citizenship further. Some children of British Overseas Citizens may be born stateless because the country in which they are born does not grant its citizenship to persons born within their territory even if the parents are settled there. While account will be taken of the United Kingdom's obligations under the international Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, it is generally understood that the country of birth should be responsibile for remedying the situation.
104. British Overseas Citizens living in British territories would have the opportunity of acquiring one of the other citizenships on satisfying the require- ments for naturalisation laid down. The holder of British Overseas Citizenship would be entitled to protection overseas in the same way as any other British
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national, and would be eligible to hold a United Kingdom passport describing hiszenship; but his citizenship would not carry with it the right of abode in
tish territory.
any
105. The proposed change of title would in no way affect the eligibility of certain United Kingdom passport holders, mainly from East Africa, to participate in the Special Voucher Scheme which, as already mentioned in paragraph 27, the Government intend to continue.
G. OTHER NATIONALITY MATTERS
The Status of British Subject
106. The term 'British Subject' has a long history, and in the 1948 Act it was preserved as being the common status of all people connected with the Commonwealth. It was laid down in the Act that the terms 'British Subject' and 'Commonwealth citizen' were to be synonymous for that purpose. As time has gone on more and more Commonweath countries have either dropped the term 'British Subject' or, on becoming independent, have not adopted it. The result is that at present the term is used as a common status in nationality law only by the United Kingdom and Australia. The Government have carefully considered the use of this term. It is out of date as a description of all people connected with the Commonwealth and it is no longer needed for common status purposes; 'Commonwealth citizen' will serve that purpose satisfactorily. Apart from this there is the point that with the adoption of titles such as 'British Citizen', the additional status of 'British Subject' might be confusing. 'British Subject' is also used in the current law to denote the status held by certain people such as British Subjects without Citizenship, and those Irish people who have asserted their right to it having held it before 1949. As will be explained below these particular titles will be continued; but in the Bill the only expression denoting the common status of all people connected with the Commonwealth will be "Commonwealth citizen'.
British Subjects without Citizenship
107. These people are referred to in paragraph 7 of the Green Paper which also explains that since no one born after 1948 can hold the status the numbers are declining. Those who are settled in the United Kingdom, will under the proposals in paragraph 34 above, be able to apply to become British Citizens. The Government will propose that the status of the remainder should be pre- served, as would that of women who have been registered as British Subjects by virtue of marriage to husbands who are British Subjects without Citizenship.
Citizens of the Irish Republic
108. The status of Citizens of the Irish Republic in United Kingdom law is that they are neither British Subjects nor foreigners. They apply for Citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies under the same rules as apply to Common- wealth citizens; and they have the particular concession under section 2 of the 1948 Act of being able to claim, if they were born before 1949, to have remained British Subjects.
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