TNAG-0660-FCO40-809-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1977 — Page 132

and the remainder. These distinctions within a common

citizenship have been hard to follow. They have caused confusion and have encouraged the belief that our immigration laws contain elements of racial prejudice. The Immigration Act 1971 increased the confusion, since not only did distinctions within the citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies continue, but the right of entry was also conferred, to a limited degree, on certain citizens of other Commonwealth countries. As a result, for example, certain Australian and Indian citizens may have a right of entry to the United Kingdom which some citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies do not possess.

11. As a background to discussion of all the issues, it will be useful to give some idea of the number of people involved. Altogether there are about 950 million people throughout the world who are "British Subjects" in our law. Most of these are, of course, citizens of independent Commonwealth countries. Of the rest 56 million are citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies by reason of their close connection with the United Kingdom itself and are exempt from United Kingdom immigration control. A further 3.3 million (of whom 2.6 million are in Hong Kong) are citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies by virtue of a close connection with an existing dependency. These do not have a right of entry to the United Kingdom, but they do almost invariably have the right of admission to a dependency. 12. There are, however, a number of citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies - about 190,000 mostly in Malaysia, India and Africa who, deriving their status from former dependencies, have no such rights (the numbers in East Africa are declining as a result of admission here under the special voucher scheme

Then there are which the government intend to continue).

thought to be some 3 million citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies (1 million in this country) with dual nationality who are exempt from United Kingdom immigration control, further 1.3 million (most in Malaysia) who are subject to such

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