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Possible Changes
A. Recognition of Chinese Sovereignty with Continuing British
Administration
Citizenship and Nationality
10.
The future citizenship and nationality of the people of
Hong Kong would need to be decided in negotiations about a
'management contract' with the PRC. The options, not all of
them practicable, which might need to be considered are:-
(1) British Dependent Territories Citizenship (BDTC).
At present the roughly 2.5 million citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies without the right of abode
have in the United Kingdom are due to become British
Dependent Territories citizens. It would be possible
for them to retain this status either:-
(a) transitionally (ie all who now have it
would retain it but there would be no new additions); or
(b) indefinitely (ie additional people could
acquire the citizenship through the usual specified connections with Hong Kong, which would still be regarded for nationality purposes as a dependent territory).
Under (b) persons born in Hong Kong after transfer of sovereignty (of a parent who was a BDTC or settled there) would become BDTCS. This would have attractions, both for the people of Hong Kong, who would be no worse off than they are now, and for HMG, who would not have entered into any new immigration commitment. But there might be difficulties if the settlement with the PRC implied that Hong Kong could no longer be regarded as a dependent territory in any meaningful sense (or if the PRC objected specifically to the use of the term 'dependent territory' in this connection). The status of British Dependent Territories Citizen can be altered only by amending legislation.
/(2)
British Overseas Citizenship
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