TNAG-0660-FCO40-809-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1977 — Page 158

while others would not. There could be some minor exceptions

to the general rule. For example, it might be right to include a provision for conferring citizenship on the stateless child of a British Overseas Citizen, once the child had established a direct connection with a dependency by living there for, say, 3 years. Second, women from the dependencies might only be able to transmit citizenship to their children born abroad where the child was illegitimate. This is because dependencies might be reluctant to grant the right of entry to the legitimate child from abroad when only the mother was a British Overseas Citizen but the father was not. Third, there would probably have to be an arrangement to meet international obligations to grant citizenship (on certain conditions) to wives. Although these obligations would have to be taken into account they should not significantly weaken the general principles underlying the citizenship.

76. It would also be necessary, because of the need to relate British Overseas Citizenship to the right of entry to a dependency, for the arrangements for naturalisation in the dependencies to remain much the same as at present, the applicant having to fulfil certain minimum requirements of

residence etc, but beyond that the grant of naturalisation being entirely at discretion.

THE STATUS OF THE IRISH

77. In general, Irish citizens born before 1949 were also British subjects in our law until the Act of 1948 came into

force. Since then, those Irish citizens have been eligible to claim, by means of written notice to the Home Secretary, to remain British subjects under a special provision of the Act. Within a new nationality scheme they could continue to