British Nationality Selection Scheme
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The British Nationality Selection Scheme was a process used to grant British citizenship to selected persons in Hong Kong between 1990 and 1997.
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[edit] Basis of the scheme
Section 1(1) of the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990 gave the Home Secretary the power to register as British citizens up to 50,000 persons (heads of families) recommended to him by the Governor of Hong Kong. The spouses and minor children of such persons were also entitled to registration under section 1(4).
This was enacted to forestall the emigration of key persons from Hong Kong in the run-up to the transfer of sovereignty to China on 30 June 1997.
[edit] Eligibility Criteria
In order to be eligible for registration under section 1(1) a person was required to be settled in Hong Kong and:
- A British Dependent Territories Citizen (BTDC) by virtue of a connection with Hong Kong, or an applicant for registration or naturalisation;
- A British National (Overseas), British Overseas citizen, British subject, or British protected person
A spouse who married the family head after that person was registered under s1(1) was required to be settled in Hong Kong on the date of the marriage in order to be eligible for registration under s1(4). Spouses and children were not subject to the nationality criteria.
No person could be registered as a British citizen under the Act on or after July 1, 1997.
[edit] Selection Scheme
The selection scheme ran in two phases in which applications for s1(1) registration were possible:
- December 1, 1990 to February 28, 1991
- January 3, 1994 to March 31 1994
The Governor of Hong Kong retained the power to invite applications after that date. All applications from spouses and children for registration under s1(4) were required to be made on or before December 31, 1996.
There were four distinct schemes:
- General Occupational Class (GOC), for managers and professionals
- Entrepreneurs Class (EC), for businessmen and women
- Disciplined Services Class (DSC), for Hong Kong civil servants in police, fire, immigration, custom, correctional services.
- Sensitive Service Class (SSC), for those in a public or private sector role with particular vulnerabilities on account of their positions.
Selection of persons in the GOC and DSC classes was primarily based on a "points system".
Those who held the citizenship of another country, excluding People's Republic of China (see Home Return Permit for details), were penalised in the points test, although there was no specific bar to registration. Spouses and children seeking registration under s1(4) were not restricted in terms of what other nationality they could hold.
[edit] Consequences of Registration
A person acquiring British citizenship under section 1(1) of the Act became a British citizen otherwise than by descent and as a result, children born subsequently in Hong Kong (or elsewhere outside the United Kingdom) are generally entitled to British citizenship by descent.
Spouses and children registered under s1(4) of the Act acquired British citizenship by descent.
Any successful applicant who was a British Dependent Territories citizen lost that status on acquisition of British citizenship. Consequentially, British National (Overseas) status was also lost, if it was held.
Successful applicants also became European citizens upon registration as a British citizen.
A person acquiring British citizenship under the 1990 Act who subsequently became a citizen of another country (such as Australia) did not lose British citizenship.
