of the United Kingdom and Colonies. Many of these mothers will, because of their connection with an existing or former dependency, acquire Citize p of the British Dependent Territories or British Overseas Citizenship, and it seems right therefore that these people, most of whom are children and living overseas, should acquire the same citizenship as their mothers do.
20. The Government do not think it is practicable to provide, as some corres- pondents have suggested, that all present Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies should become British Citizens with the right of abode here. In 1962 the Government found it necessary to control the entry into the United Kingdom of Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies from dependent territories, as well as citizens of independent Commonwealth countries; and in 1968 other Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies who were not closely connected with the United Kingdom were made subject to immigration control. Those Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies who are connected with a dependency generally have a right of entry to that dependency; and most of those who do not have the right of entry to the United Kingdom or a dependency are well established in their country of residence, and many hold the nationality of those countries.
21. It is worth emphasising that these proposals would affect only those people who at the time of coming into force of the new legislation are Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies. There are of course many citizens of independent Commonwealth and foreign countries who are settled in the United Kingdom, that is to say, being ordinarily resident without being subject under the immigration laws to any restriction on the period for which they may remain; but if they hold only a Commonwealth or foreign citizenship there would be no question of the Bill conferring our citizenship on them: many of them may not wish to become British Citizens. The Bill will not affect adversely their position under the immigration law.
22. With the exception referred to in paragraph 19, no one who when the new Act comes into force is a patrial (that is, who enjoys the right of abode under section 2 of the Immigration Act 1971) would as a result of the Govern- ment's proposals lose that right. Once the Act is in force those people who have become British Citizens would have the right of abode because of their citizen- ship; and it will be proposed that those citizens of Commonwealth countries who have the right of abode immediately before the Act comes into force and do not qualify for British Citizenship should continue to hold that right for their lifetime.
Eligibility for Citizenship of the British Dependent Territories
23. In parallel with the arrangements for the acquisition of British Citizen- ship when the Act comes into force, the Citizenship of the British Dependent Territories would be acquired by those Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies who have that citizenship by reason of their own, or their parents', or their grandparents' birth, naturalisation or registration in an existing depen- dency or Associated State. The provisions are set out in greater detail in paragraph 35.
Eligibility for British Overseas Citizenship
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British Overseas Citizenship would be acquired by all those Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies who do not become British Citizens or Citizens of the British Dependent Territories.
25. These fall into two main groups. The first, and much the smaller, consists of people who acquired citizenship by descent from an ancestor (not closer than a great-grandfather) born in the United Kingdom or a dependency. The second, which is very numerous indeed (the numbers cannot be definitely established but may be about 1.5 million altogether) owe their citizenship to their connection with a former dependency. Of the second group the great majority live in Malaysia, and most of them also have Malaysian Citizenship.
26. The Government are aware of the strength of feeling in some quarters that those Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies overseas who at present have no other citizenship and no ties with, or right of entry to, the United Kingdom or an existing dependency should become British Citizens with the right of entry into the United Kingdom rather than British Overseas Citizens. But if this group, of which the United Kingdom passport holders from East Africa form only a part, were to have British Citizenship the potential immigration commitment would be so large as to be quite unacceptable.
27. However, the Government do recognise the special position of certain United Kingdom passport holders mainly from East Africa, and they will maintain their undertaking to continue the special voucher scheme for them. The essence of this scheme is that heads of households will be able to enter this country with their families at a controlled rate. By the time the new nationality legislation is brought into force many of those eligible for special vouchers will have received them and will have settled in this country. They will then be eligible to become British Citizens under the arrangements proposed in para- graph 33 below.
28. The effect of the Government's proposals would be that everyone who immediately before the new Nationality Act comes into force is a Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies would acquire one of the three new citizenships, None of them would be excluded.
29. People holding the new citizenships would be eligible to have passports describing them accordingly, and the British Government would be entitled to afford consular protection to the holders of all three citizenships in accordance with international practice.
Other British Subjects and British Protected Persons
30. It is proposed to leave unchanged the status of British Subject without Citizenship save that those who have long been resident in the United Kingdom and are settled here would be able to become British Citizens. It is also intended, as explained in paragraph 109, that the status of citizens of the Irish Republic who have made claims to remain British Subjects under section 2 of the 1948 Act should remain unaltered. The status of British Protected Person would remain, although those resident for a long time in the United Kingdom and settled here would be entitled, if they wished, to acquire British Citizenship. Further details of these proposals are in paragraphs 34 and 111.
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