Regist No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret,
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
MEMORANDUM
DRAFT
To:-
........In Confidence
GEN 56
Type 1 +
From
A J BROWN
Telephone No. Ext.
+
Department N & TD
REVIEW OF NATIONALITY LAW:
COMMONWEALTH CONSULTATION
AND PRESENTATION OF HMG'S PROPOSALS OVERSEAS
Memorandum by the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary
DSR11
THE NEED TO CONSULT OR INFORM OVERSEAS GOVERNMENTS AND
TO INFORM OVERSEAS COMMUNITIES OF UNITED KINGDOM NATIONALS
1. The FCO needs a few weeks before publication of any consultative document to warn those governments and groups overseas who will be principally concerned by the proposed changes in the United Kingdom nationality law. The new scheme of citizenship represents a fundamental departure from that which has determined the status of all United Kingdom nationals for nearly 30 years since the enactment of the British Nationality Act 1948. The basis of the new system
which
Britains
the splitţie of the present citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies into two British Citizenship and British Overseas Citizenship -d millions of existing citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies throughout the world will, after the implementation of new legislation, have a status different from that enjoyed by those persons who derive their national status from a close, personal con- nection with Britain. Those British Overseas Citizens, who do not derive this status from a close personal connection with an existing Dependency, will not be able to transmit their citizenship to their children. Other features of the new proposals which will cause concern, include the abolition of consular registration of children by which citizenship may at present be transmitted through the generations in- definitely, and the restrictions to be placed on dual
1
CONFIDENTIAL
138649 Dd.107857 500M 2/76 MFP
/nationality
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