descent.
Chief among those which are of major significance are the new provisions on
Several amendments proposed by the Government and agreed in another
place envisage greatly simplified arrangements for transmission of citizenship
beyond the first generation born overseas.
Under these amendments British
citizenship is to be available to a child born overseas in the second generation,
provided application is made within the prescribed time and one of the child's
parents is a citizen by descent who has lived in the United Kingdom for three years.
The child's parents will no longer have to show that their close connection with
the United Kingdom is one which arises through their employment. Beyond the second
generation born overseas, children born abroad to British citizens may be registered
as British citizens by descent at discretion where the child lives abroad, or as an
entitlement where the child and his family make their home in this country.
We believe that this simple scheme will do much to meet the concern that has been
expressed overseas and which hon Members will recall was so forcefully expressed by
my hon friend, the member for Petersfield, on Report Stage of this Bill on 1 June.
We have looked at this matter again as we promised, and we believe that the new
arrangements are a marked improvement on the old.
6. This is true also of the changes made in another place to the arrangements for
those who apply for citizenship as an entitlement but are refused.
Amendments made
in another place now make clear that the restriction on access to the courts against
refusal of citizenship where the decision is at the discretion of the Secretary of
State does not affect in any way the ability of an applicant who has applied for
citizenship as an entitlement to seek a review of the decision from the courts.
Amendments have also been made to various entitlements so that, whilst applicants
still have to meet various requirements, their entitlements do not depend on their
satisfying the Secretary of State that they have done so. These changes will, we
believe, help to clarify a most important aspect of the Bill.
ลง
2
:/: