TNAG-2198-FCO40-3152-Hong-Kong-nationality-spouses-and-widows-of-British-expatria-1990 — Page 110

(Hong Kong) Bill provides as you know for the grant of British

citizenship to a limited number of key people and their dependants in both the public and private sectors in Hong Kong. We concluded that it would not be right to include as part of this package an amendment to the British Nationality Act 1981 to allow time spent in Hong Kong to count towards the 3 year United Kingdom residence requirement for the spouses of British citizens who wish to acquire British citizenship. The whole basis of the British Nationality Act 1981 is that citizenship, for both men and women, should involve a period of residence in this country. For the spouse of a British citizen that period of residence is

3 years and is designed to ensure that the non-British spouse has some links with the United Kingdom independent of marriage and

that he or she meets the requirements of the 1981 Act to be of

good character.

For the most part, we expect that the wives of expatriate British citizens will achieve settlement and, eventually, qualify for citizenship in the normal way if they, in due course, accompany

their husbands to the United Kingdom. However special

arrangements apply for British citizens serving abroad in Crown

or designated service. The spouse of such a person can be

naturalised under section 6(2) of the British Nationality Act

1981 without a period of United Kingdom residence if the

employing organisation can show that this would be in its, and

the United Kingdom's, interests.

In the Government's view, the arrangements I have outlined deal

fully and fairly with the concerns to which you drew attention.

It follows that I hope you will be able to accept that British

citizens resident in Hong Kong need feel no reason to leave Hong

Kong simply to secure their spouse's immigration position.