TNAG-0902-FCO40-1112-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1979 — Page 6

ļ

122A

CH

CONFIDENTIAL

Mr Jones, NTD

CAD

CCD

Consular

MCD

MED

NENAD

NAD

HKK 340

Reference....GVM 349/1

RECEIVED 14350MY NO. 51

72.001979

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

SED

SPD

PA

MO IRED POW 23/x

WAD

RELISHY

Mre Evans

THEE

EAD

EESD

EID(I) FED

HKGD

Rhodesia

SAMD SAD

WED

WIAD

Mr Figg

Fretwell Mr Fergusson Mr Moberly Mr Harding Mr Aspin Mr Day

SEAD

Mr Murray

Mr Cortazzi

SAFD

Mr Stratton

214

Mr Quaran алю

i,

(118)

NATIONALITY LEGISLATION: OVERSEAS

TRANSMISSION OF CITIZENSHIP TO CHILDREN BORN

1. I think the only comment I would like to make on your minute of 17 October and the enclosures concerns the Home Office view that transmission of citizenship to the second generation born abroad would somehow be exploited by immigrant communities and lead to an increase in the number of people who enjoy the right of abode in the UK.

2. It is impossible to make any accurate guess about this because demographic information about our immigrant communities is lacking and their intentions and the intentions of their offspring cannot be foreseen. However, we do know:

a.

b.

3.

that there is still strong pressure to emigrate from the countries of the sub-continent and possibly elsewhere to the UK, and this is likely to continue to be the case;

that Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis who have settled in the UK in recent years have left thousands of children behind in the sub-continent. Some of the children have applied to join their parents but others have not. Nobody knows how many and nobody knows what their intentions are.

If the new Nationality Act enables children born abroad of British citizens to acquire British citizenship, or to upgrade it from "citizenship by descent" to "citizenship by birth" by a period of residence in the UK, we must face the possibility that this might be exploited. People who acquire a status of British citizen in this way could presumably then return to the sub-continent and pass on to any children born there the status of "British citizen by descent". Those children might then be able to improve their citizenship later by a similar period of temporary residence in the UK and thus pass on again British citizenship status to their offspring. Nobody can tell to what extent these possibilities might be exploited, but I think it would be rash to dismiss the Home Office fear that it might be considerable.

Дверия

A Shepherd MVD

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L

DOCH

19 October 1979

CONFIDENTIAL