STATELESSNESS
CONFIDENTIAL
13. THE DRAFT ORDER ALSO MAKES PROVISIONS TO GUARD AGAINST STATELESS-
NESS. IT PROVIDES THAT THOSE BDTCS WHO CEASE TO BE BDTCS ON 1 JULY
1997 WOULD AUTOMATICALLY BECOME BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENS (BOCS) IF
THEY WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATELESS.
14. IT ALSO PROVIDES THAT THE CHILDREN BORN ON OR AFTER 1 JULY 1997
OF BDTCS WOULD AUTOMATICALLY BECOME BOCS IF THEY WOULD OTHERWISE
BE STATELESS. THE GRANDCHILDREN BORN ON OR AFTER 1 JULY 1997 OF
BDTCS WOULD HAVE AN ENTITLEMENT OF REGISTER AS BOCS WITHIN 12 MONTHS
OF THEIR BIRTH IF THEY WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATELESS.
PROVISIONS FOR CHILDREN BORN IN HONG KONG TO REGISTER AS PDTCS
15. AS REGARDS CHILDREN BORN IN HONG KONG ON OR AFTER 1 JANUARY 1983, UNDER EXISTING PROVISIONS OF THE BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT 1981
SUCH CHILDREN WILL ONLY ACQUIRE BDT CITIZENSHIP AT BIRTH IF ONE
PARENT IS EITHER A BDTC OR SETTLED IN A DEPENDENT TERRITORY. THUS
CHILDREN OF RECENT IMMIGRANTS WHO HAVE NOT ACQUIRED BDT CITIZENSHIP
OR ACHIEVED SETTLED STATUS IN HONG KONG ARE NOT BDTCS BY BIRTH.
THEY WILL NOT THEREFORE HAVE HONG KONG BELONGER STATUS AT BIRTH.
BUT THERE ARE PROVISIONS UNDER THE BNA 1981 (SECTION 15(3) AND
(4)) FOR SUCH CHILDREN TO HAVE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) ENTITLEMENT
TO REGISTER AS BDTCS IF
A) WHILE THEY ARE MINORS EITHER PARENT BECOMES A BDTC OR SETTLED IN
A DEPENDENT TERRITORY (SECTION 15(3)):
OR
B) THE CHILDREN HAVE IN THE FIRST TEN YEARS OF THEIR LIVES BEEN
ABSENT FROM HONG KONG FOR NOT MORE THAN 90 DAYS IN EACH OF THE TEN
YEARS AND APPLICATIONS FOR THEIR REGISTRATION AS BDTCS ARE SUBMITTED
AFTER THEY REACHED THE AGE OF TEN YEARS (SECTION 15(4)).
17. EXPLANATORY LEAFLETS ON THESE PROVISIONS FOR CHILDREN BORN IN
HONG KONG ON OR AFTER 1 JANUARY 1983 TO REGISTER AS PDTCS ARE
AVAILABLE AT ALL BIRTHS REGISTRIES OF THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT.
ENQUIRIES ON THIS QUESTION MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE CHIEF IMMIGRATION
OFFICER (BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES) ON TELEPHONE NO 3-7328513.
DATE OF CREATIONOF BN(0) STATUS
18 THE UK GOVERNMENT INTEND TO CREATE THE BN (0) STATUS WITH EFFECT
FROM 1 JULY 1987 IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE PRESENT PRACTICE OF
ISSUING PASSPORTS VALID FOR TEN YEARS. IF BN(0) PASSPORTS WERE NOT
AVAILABLE WITH EFFECT FROM 1 JULY 1997, THERE WOULD BE NO ALTERNATIVE
TO ISSUING HONG KONG BDTCS, WITH EFFECT FROM 1 JULY 1987, WITH
BRITISH PASSPORTS WITH A PROGRESSIVELY SHORTER PERIOD OF VALIDITY.
19. HONG KONG BDTCS MAY APPLY FOR BN(0) PASSPORTS AS FROM 1 JULY 1987
(NEXT FOUR WORDS UNDERLINED) IF THEY SO WISH, BUT THEY MAY HOLD EITHER BN (0) OR BDTC PASSPORTS. ONCE HONG KONG BDTCS HAVE ACQUIRED
BN(0) STATUS ON APPLYING FOR BN(0) PASSPORTS, THEY WILL HOLD BN(0) STATUS CONCURRENTLY WITH BDTC STATUS UNTIL 30 JUNE 1997, UNLESS THEY RENOUNCE OR ARE DEPRIVED OF THEIR BDTC STATUS BEFORE 30 JUNE
1997.
3
CONFIDENTIAL
ARRANGEMENT
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.