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(d)
13.
a
Nationality and Passports
in
Parliament
and
consultation with the
Following debates
people of Hong Kong an Order in Council was made on 5 June 1986
under the terms of the Hong Kong Act 1985. This provides for
persons who are British Dependent Territories citizens by virtue of
connection with Hong Kong to lose that status on 1 July 1997 but
to be entitled to acquire before that date a new status, to be known
as British National (Overseas), together with a British passport
provision to guard
It provides for any British Dependent
on 1 July 1997
recording that status.
against statelessness.
The Order also makes
status
Territories citizens who lose that
automatically to become British verseas citizens if they have not
acquired BN (0) status and if they would otherwise be stateless. The
children of former Hong Kong BDTCs born on or after that date will
be British Overseas citizens automatically at birth if
The grandchildren of former Hong Kong BDTCs
registered as British Overseas citizens if
also
otherwise
stateless.
will be entitled to be
born stateless.
14.
The Order will
bearing the status o f
from that date.
come
into effect on 1 July 1987. Passports
British National (Overseas) will be issued
15.
During the passage of the Order through Parliament Her
Majesty's Government took into careful consideration three specific
requests made by the Legislative Council of Hong
Hong Kong: that the
passports of BN (0)s should contain an endorsement to the effect that
visas or entry certificates were not required for visits to the UK:
that ex-World War II service veterans in Hong Kong should be granted
British citizenship: and that ethnic minority (i.e. non-Chinese)
BDT S should also be granted British citizenship. Her Majesty's
Government agreed to the passport endorsement request in full. The
majority of the 270 or SO service veterans are not eligible under
the British Nationality Act 1981 for registration as British
citizens. However the Government agreed to
to consider sympathetically
applications from the 60 or so eligible for British citizenship and
agreed that any of the 270 could be admitted to the UK for settlement together with their dependants. Her Majesty's Government
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