The Home Office stress that in order to be eligible for registration or naturalisation as British citizens as the law stands, the wives and widows would first need to settle in the United Kingdom. Home Office Ministers remain of the view that new legislation would be inappropriate, given the small numbers of people involved and the immigration assurances already given about their eligibility to settle here and to qualify for registration or naturalisation in the normal way.
I would be grateful if you would treat this as the Home Office's formal response to the proposals put forward by Security Branch at the end of last year.
Yours simekly,
Nebuah Barnes tove
Толь
Deborah Barnes Jones
Hong Kong Department
Cc: Mr Chris Kelly, B4 Division
Home Office
Mr Paul Ronghetti, NTCD
By Fax.
PS What happened or the
"ethnic minority "debate
debate on 11 March?
lrho.wives.NAT
JEB