NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Commonwealth citizen

British & Commonwealth Citizenship

Commonwealth Nationality Laws
British (history) Australian Barbadian Canadian (history) Indian Malaysian Maltese New Zealand South African Irish citizens in the UK Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Commonwealth_of_Nations. ... This article concerns the History of British nationality law. ... Barbados achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1966 as a commonwealth with HM the Queen Elizabeth II remaining the head of state. ... Canada was the second nation in the then British Commonwealth to establish its own nationality law in 1946, with the enactment of the Canadian Citizenship Act 1946. ... This article concerns British nationality law in respect of citizens of the Republic of Ireland. ...
Classes of Citizens and Subjects
British citizen British subject British Overseas Territories citizen British Overseas citizen British National (Overseas) British protected person Commonwealth citizen British Nationality Law ... In British nationality law, the term British subject has at different times had different meanings. ... // British Nationality Act 1981 The British Nationality Act 1981 came into force on 1 January 1983, and divided Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKCs) into three categories: British citizens CUKCs with the right of abode in the United Kingdom and Islands (i. ... In British nationality law, the status of British Overseas citizen (BOC) is one of several categories of British national. ... This article concerns matters of British nationality law in relation to Hong Kong. ... British Protected Person (BPP) is a form of British nationality under the British Nationality Act 1981. ...
Rights and Visas
Right of abode Indefinite leave to remain Permanent resident (Australia) Permanent resident (Canada) Belonger status UK Ancestry Entry Clearance Right of Abode is a status under United Kingdom immigration laws that gives an unrestricted right to live in the United Kingdom. ... Indefinite Leave to Remain or ILR, is an immigration status granted to a person who does not hold right of abode in the United Kingdom, but who has been admitted to the UK without any time limit on his stay and who is free to take up employment, without restriction. ... Australian permanent residents are residents of Australia who hold permanent residency visas but are not citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia. ... A Permanent Resident in Canada is someone who is not a Canadian citizen but has the legal right to enter or remain in Canada. ... A legal classification normally associated with Britains Overseas Territories. ... A UK Ancestry Entry Clearance often referred to as an Ancestry Visa is a United Kingdom Entry Clearance for Commonwealth citizens with a grandparent born in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man who wish to work in the United Kingdom. ...
Acts
Ireland Act 1949 British Nationality Act 1981 Falkland Islands (1983) Overseas Territories Act 2002 Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 The Ireland Act 1949 is a UK Act of Parliament which was intended to deal with the consequences of the then recently passed Republic of Ireland Act 1948 as passed by the Irish parliament (Oireachtas). ... The British Nationality Act 1981 was an Act of Parliament passed by the British Parliament. ... The British Overseas Territories Act 2002 is an Act of Parliament passed in the United Kingdom in 2002, which superseded the British Nationality Act 1981. ... The Canadian Citizenship Act is an Act of the Government of Canada, which came into effect on July 1, 1947, recognizing the definition of a Canadian, including reference to them being British subjects. ...

A Commonwealth citizen, formerly known as a British subject, is generally a person who is a national of any country within the Commonwealth of Nations. In British nationality law, the term British subject has at different times had different meanings. ... The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, the majority of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ...

In British nationality law, a Commonwealth citizen is a person who is either a British citizen, British Overseas Territories citizen, British Overseas citizen, British subject, British National (Overseas) or a national of a country listed in Schedule 3 of the British Nationality Act 1981. Note that British protected persons are not Commonwealth citizens. The list of countries in Schedule 3 at any time may not accurately reflect the countries actually within the Commonwealth at that time. For example, when Fiji left the Commonwealth in 1987 and 1990, its name was not removed from Schedule 3. This may have happened because the British Government at the time wished to avoid the consequences of Fijian citizens in the United Kingdom suddenly losing the benefits of Commonwealth citizenship. British nationality law is the law of the United Kingdom concerning British citizenship and other categories of British nationality. ... British Nationality Law ... // British Nationality Act 1981 The British Nationality Act 1981 came into force on 1 January 1983, and divided Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKCs) into three categories: British citizens CUKCs with the right of abode in the United Kingdom and Islands (i. ... In British nationality law, the status of British Overseas citizen (BOC) is one of several categories of British national. ... In British nationality law, the term British subject has at different times had different meanings. ... This article concerns matters of British nationality law in relation to Hong Kong. ... The British Nationality Act 1981 was an Act of Parliament passed by the British Parliament. ... British Protected Person (BPP) is a form of British nationality under the British Nationality Act 1981. ...

Most other Commonwealth countries have provisions within their own law defining who is and who is not a Commonwealth citizen. Each country is free to determine what special rights, if any, are accorded to non-nationals who are Commonwealth citizens. In general, citizens of the Republic of Ireland and British protected persons, although not Commonwealth citizens, are accorded the same rights and privileges as Commonwealth citizens.

Rights and disabilities the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, as in many other Commonwealth countries, Commonwealth citizens (together with Irish citizens and British protected persons) are in law considered not to be "foreign" or "aliens", although British protected persons do not have all the civic rights that are enjoyed by Commonwealth and Irish citizens. Commonwealth and Irish citizens enjoy the same civic rights as British citizens, namely:

the right, unless otherwise disqualified, to vote in all elections (i.e., parliamentary, local and European elections);
the right, unless otherwise disqualified, to stand for election to the British House of Commons;
the right, if a qualifying peer or bishop, to sit in the House of Lords; and
eligibility to hold public office (e.g., as a judge, magistrate, minister, police constable, member of the armed forces, etc.).

The disabilities of Commonwealth citizens who are not British citizens are few, but in the case of immigration control, very important. Commonwealth citizens (including British nationals who are not British citizens) who do not have the right of abode are subject to immigration control, including control on the right to work and carry out business. In addition, Commonwealth citizens who are not British citizens may not be engaged in certain sensitive occupations, e.g., in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in the intelligence services, and some positions within the armed forces. The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall, seen from St. ...

Nevertheless, under the United Kingdom's immigration arrangements Commonwealth citizens enjoy certain advantages:

Commonwealth citizens born before 1st January 1983 may by virtue of having a parent born in the United Kingdom and Islands have the right of abode therein - such persons are exempt from all immigration control;
Commonwealth citizens with a grandparent born in the United Kingdom and Islands may be admitted for up to five years on this basis, and thereafter be granted indefinite leave to remain;
Commonwealth citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 may be admitted for a "working holiday" for up to two years but may only work for one year;
Commonwealth citizens, unlike other non-European Economic Area nationals, may not be required to register with the police while living in the United Kingdom.

(Redirected from 1st January) January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The right of abode refers to an individuals freedom from immigration control in a particular country. ... Indefinite Leave to Remain or ILR, is an immigration status granted to a person who does not hold right of abode in the United Kingdom, but who has been admitted to the UK without any time limit on his stay and who is free to take up employment, without restriction. ... Map of the EEA countries. ...

Consular assistance

In foreign (i.e. non-Commonwealth) countries, the United Kingdom embassy or consulate is traditionally responsible for Commonwealth citizens whose governments are not represented in the country concerned. A few Commonwealth governments have made alternative arrangements to share the burden, e.g. under a reciprocal agreement Canada and Australia are responsible for each other's citizens, and the British embassy is only responsible for Canadian and Australian citizens if neither country is represented. In return, there are a few Australian consulates that are responsible for British nationals because there is no British consulate there. A few Commonwealth governments, namely Singapore and Tanzania, have opted not to receive consular assistance from the United Kingdom. A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one nation state present in another nation state to represent the sending state in the receiving State. ... The term Consulate can refer to: the office or the period in office of a consul a diplomatic consulate the French Consulate which governed between 1799 and 1804 a brand of menthol cigarettes Consulate This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise...

In other Commonwealth countries, United Kingdom high commissions accept no responsibility for unrepresented Commonwealth citizens, who should look to the host Commonwealth government for quasi-consular assistance. Canadian and Australian citizens are able to seek consular assistance from each other's high commissions. A High Commissioner is a person serving in a special executive capacity. ...

Consular assistance

See also