TOYAAU
CONF IDENT IAL
BACKGROUND
References
A.
Gibraltar telno 162.
B.
Foreign Secretary's statement in the House of
Commons, 20 December
1. As Mr Maude is well aware we have been lobbying our friends in
the international community for some time on the issue of
international support. Since the announcement of our own scheme we
have been pressing those other countries to come up with similar
schemes.
2. It would, however, appear that Gibraltar are more interested in obtaining skilled people or more particularly people with money to invest and thus assist Gibraltar's own economy. We cannot appear to be trying to close off avenues to Hong Kong people seeking to make their own arrangements, nevertheless we would prefer it if Gibraltar could offer assurances to Hong Kong people without their having to leave the territory.
3. Nationality and Treaty Department have advised that under the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981 British Dependent Territories citizenship (BDTC) is acquired by persons who are connected by birth or descent with an existing Dependent Territory.
It is a collective citizenship embracing all those qualified, irrespective of the particular Dependent Territory with which they
are connected. Since separate citizenships for each Dependent Territory do not exist, a person who already possesses British Dependent Territories citizenship by virtue of his connection with Hong Kong cannot change that status should he subsequently become
resident in another Dependent Territory.
CONF IDENT IAL
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