TNAG-0901-FCO40-1111-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1979 — Page 204

viz. 116

CONFIDENTIAL

d) There have also been some representations from the tiny expatriate community in the Cayman Islands; but these have been to the effect that citizenship by

descent should be possible for four generations instead

on the present one, and cannot be seriously entertained..

SCOPE OF THE NEW CITIZENSHIP

General Features

9. The long-term aim is to limit the numbers of people over-

seas for whom the United Kingdom is responsible, so that

eventually the only British Overseas Citizens will be

connected with a dependency.

10.

Accordingly the legislation governing the citizenship

should provide that after the new Act has come into force

a British Overseas Citizen should not transmit his citizen-

ship to his children unless he himself is connected by birth

with a dependency. Without such an arrangement the number

of unconnected citizens would continue to be very large for

the next hundred years or so.

11.

In framing the provisions governing the way in which

the citizenship is to be acquired eg by descent and

naturalisation, account should be taken of the fact that

virtually all remaining dependencies are obliged, for

economic or other reasons, to limit very strictly the

categories of people entitled to the right of abode there.

Moreover, this should be done in such a way as to make it

possible for any dependency to refuse entry to a British

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