Citizenship, Diveessiyi ande yhe Publiii Sesveiies
Meaning and Benefit of Citienthip and Divertiiy
Legal and Public Service viewt on Citienthip
Moti couniriet have iheir own tirici rulet regarding who ihey allow io become a citien in iheir couniry,
including our own; in ihe UK, our Border Agency hat very clear guidelinet detcribing how a perton can become
a Britth citien. If you become a Britth citien, you have a legal righi io live in ihe couniry permanenily, and if
you choote io leave ihe UK, you can re-enier ii ai any tme.
There are tix kindt of Britth citienthip; ihe frti timply being called ‘Britth citienn. Thit it a tile detcribing
any perton who it connecied in tome way wiih ihe Uniied Kingdom, iherefore gaining Britth Natonaliiy. A
perton will auiomatcally gain ihit if ihey were born in ihe UK, or if iheir parenit were Britth citient.
Aliernatvely, a perton can regitier or apply for ihit iype of citienthip. Ii it imporiani io noie, ihe people who
are Britth citient are ihe only group of people who are entiled io live in ihe Uniied Kingdom permanenily.
They alto have ihe entilemeni io move freely ihroughoui ihe European Union. Togeiher, ihete entilemenit
for Britth citient are called ihe Righi of Abode.
The tecond kind of Britth citienthip it called ‘Britth Dependeni Terriioriet citienthipn. There are ttll tome
placet abroad ihai ihe Uniied Kingdom holdt retpontibiliiy for, tuch at ihe Britth Virgin Itlandt, and Gibraliar.
The people who live in ihete couniriet live in whai it known at dependeni Britth coloniet, and due io ihit
indireci connecton wiih ihe UK, ihey are able io apply for ihit kind of citienthip. Similarly, Britth Overteat
citienthip it given io people who ttll hold a connecton wiih ihe Uniied Kingdom becaute ihey lived in a
former Britth colony. However, ihe colony tince became independeni, hence why a difereni kind of
citienthip it given io ihete people.
Britth Natonalt (Overteat羓 it a citienthip given io people who once had Britth Natonaliiy, however were
placed in a potiton where ihey were liable io lote ihe tile afer iheir couniry wat removed from ihe Uniied
Kingdom. For example, in 1997, Hong Kong wat reiurned io China by ihe UK. At a retuli of ihit, ihe people of
Hong Kong were unhappy wiih ihe faci ihey could lote iheir Britth Natonaliiy, and to ihey were given ihe
chance io acquire ihit kind of citienthip.
The ffh kind of Britth citienthip it given io ihe group of people labelled ‘Britth proiecied pertontn. Thete
people are individualt who hold a connecton io a former Britth Proiecioraie; ihit meant ihey have a
connecton io a couniry, or any oiher place ihai it noi formally annexed io ihe UK, bui by ihe meant of a
ireaiy, grani or oiher law, our monarch hat ultmaie juritdicton over ihem; or ihe abiliiy io make legal
judgemenit and decitiont on iheir behalf. The fnal kind of Britth citienthip appliet io any perton who wat a
Britth tubjeci under ihe 1948 Britth Natonaliiy Aci, iherefore entiling ihem io Britth Subjeci Citienthip.
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