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HOME OFFICE
AF
11 MAR 199
ind
Immigration and Nationality Department
Nationality Division 3rd Floor India Buildings' Water Street Liverpool L2 0QN
Telephone 051-236 4723
Mrs D Barnes Jones
Hong Kong Department
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
London
SW1A 2AH
P.2/2
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NTY/90 387/1333/11
Date
"Is not
[ March 1993
Dear Debbie,
WIVES AND WIDOWS OF EX-SERVICEMEN
D
In your letter of 5 January you asked for my comments on the request for advice contained in paragraph 5 of Hong Kong telegram number 2973 of 31 December.
(A) or 92 HICD 0114 20
2. As you know, we reviewed the policy on wives and widows of ex-servicemen when preparing briefing for Mr Wardle's meetings with LEGCO members in January. The conclusion we came to was that there is no way of granting British citizenship to these ladies as long as they remain in Hong Kong.
3. None of the various options suggested by Security Branch is viable: -
a)
b)
c)
d)
Registration under section 4(5) of the 1981 Act is confined to applicants who themselves have been in service specified in s.4(6) (eg. Crown service under the Government of a dependent territory).
Naturalisation
or
or
under section 6(2) requires United Kingdom residence
a spouse who is in Crown designated service at the date of application and who was recruited for it in the United Kingdom.
Section 8 registration was transitional provision which ended on 31.12.87.
Section 4(2)s only open to applicants holding some form of British nationality and United Kingdom residence is required.
4. 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. Given the small numbers of people involved and the immigration assurances given about their eligibility to settle here and thereafter qualify for registration or naturalisation in the normal way, our Ministers remain of the view that new legislation would be inappropriate.
Yours aye Clins.
CJ KELLY
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