MAY 02 86 11:22 GMT HO 2 LUNAR HOUSE
F.04
12.
There are about 2 million British Overseas citizens in various parts of the world, of whom about 800,000 have that as their only form of oitizenship. We must think of the message they might receive if we were to conclude without quite overwhelming reasons that British Overseas citizenship was not for the future an appropriate form of citizenship for certain people in Hong Kong who appeared to be in much the same position as themselves. The confidence and the circumstances of this very large group of people would be adversely affected.
13. We must think also of the need in practice to maintain the sensible principle of the British Nationality Act 1981 that British citizenship should be a reflection of an individual's close personal links with the United Kingdom.
14.
We must think also of our commitment to a fair as well as a firm immigration policy if we were without quite overwhelming reason to enter into a commitment to grant British citizenship with a right to come and settle in this country to groups of people in Hong Kong. There are at present about 11,500 people who in 1997 might seek to benefit from such a commitment. But there are at least 60,000 others who are not ethnically Chinese who could at present apply to become British Dependent Territories citizens. Of course we cannot say how many might apply or would be granted citizenship, but the future commitment is at least uncertain and certainly not negligible. Nor can it really be argued that the commitment is less because it will never be taken up. The only responsible basis on which to enter into a commitment is the understanding that it may one day have to be met.
15. We have therefore instead approached this problem with two firm principles in our minds, First, no British Dependent Territories citizens should have any reason at all to fear that they will become stateless in 1997 - Neither after 1997 should their children, nor their grandchildren. We recognize we have a responsibility in this matter and we are ready fully to honour it. So we have provided that all British Dependent Territories citizens whatever their ethnic origin should have the right to become British Nationals (Overseas) before 1 July 1997, or before the end of 1997 if they were born in the first 6 months of that year. If for any reason someone does not apply to become a BN (0) and he has no other form of citizenship, then he will not be stateless. He will automatically be a British Overseas citizen. Similarly the children of British Dependent Territories citizens will automatically be British Overseas citizens if they would otherwise be stateles8: and if they are born stateless their children will have the right to register as British Overseas citizens.
4
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.