G)
H)
HOWE
CONFIDENTIAL
6094 1
-
IE
AN
THE POSITION WOULD BE EXACTLY THE SAME IF THE NON-ETHNIC CHINESE BDTCS WERE TO BE GRANTED BRITISH CITIZENSHIP. UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE OF OUR NATIONALITY LAW FOR MANY YEARS IS THAT OUR CITIZENSHIP CAN BE TRANSMITTED TO ONLY ONE GENERATION BORN ABROAD. THE CHILDREN BORN OUTSIDE THE UNITED KINGDOM AFTER 1997 TO NON-ETHNIC CHINESE WOULD THEREFORE BE BRITISH CITIZENS BY DESCENT, AND COULD NOT TRANSMIT THAT CITIZENSHIP TO THE NEXT GENERATION, THEIR GRANDCHILDREN. THAT GENERATION WILL HAVE AN ENTITLEMENT TO REGISTRATION AS BRITISH CITIZENS SIMILAR TO THE PROPOSED ENTITLEMENT TO REGISTRATION AS BOCS. SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS WILL HAVE NO AUTOMATIC CLAIM TO BRITISH CITIZENSHIP, NOR AN ENTITLEMENT TO REGISTRATION. GRANTING BRITISH CITIZENSHIP TO THE CURRENT GENERATION CANNOT THEREFORE BENÉFIT THE THIRD AND SUBSEQUENT
GENERATIONS BORN AFTER 1997.
THE GOVERNMENT HAVE ALSO MADE IT PLAIN THAT IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT OF ANY BRITISH NATIONAL BEING FORCED TO LEAVE HONG KONG AND HAVING NOWHERE TO GO, THEY WOULD EXPECT THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY TO CONSIDER
BUT
SYMPATHETICALLY WHETHER TO ADMIT THEM, ON A CASE BY CASE
BASIS.
ENDS
HONG KONG AGREEMENT: NATIONALITY
LIMITED
HD/HKD
HD/FED
HD/NTD
RESEARCH D (MR WALKER)
DEP HD/PUSD
PS
PS/MR RENTON
PS/PUS
SIR W HARDING MR WILSON
COPIES TO:
MR ROBERTS, NEWS DEPT
MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS
MR GRAINGER, LEGAL ADVISERS
MR D MCDOUGALL, MVD
MR HYDE, HOME OFFICE
MR EMERY, B4 DIV, HOME OFFICE, CROYDON
MR NICHOLSON, PASSPORT DEPT, HOME OFFICE,
ROOM 236, CLIVE HOUSE.
MR MCDONOUGH, B2 DIV, HOME OFFICE
MR WOOD LEGAL ADVISERS
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CONTIDENTIAL