UK citizenship

English and Scottish law were always different between monarch and foreigners, but British citizenship law was not codified until the Citizenship and Alien Status Act of 1914 codified existing common law and the law with minor modifications.

In 1948, heads of government of the Commonwealth agreed that each member would accept national citizenship (Canada had already done so at that time), but the existing status of the British entity would exist as a common status that belongs to all citizens of the Commonwealth.

The British Citizenship Act of 1948 established three statuses:

• United Kingdom and Colonial Citizenship (CUKC),
• UK citizenship
• citizenship of the colonies.

Until the early 1960s, there were no major differences in British law between the rights of the CUKC and other British entities that had the right to live in the UK at any time.

Laws on independence, adopted when other colonies gained independence, contained provisions on citizenship. In general, these provisions revoked the status of CUKC from all who became citizens of a new independent country, unless they had contact with the UK or the remaining colony (for example, through birth in the UK). Exceptions were sometimes made when the colonies did not become independent. Notable cases include Penang and Malacca , which were part of the Malaya Federation , and Hong Kong , which became part of the People's Republic of China.

Between 1962 and 1971, due to concerns about increased immigration by Commonwealth citizens from Asia and Africa, the UK gradually tightened control over immigration from British nationals from other parts of the Commonwealth. The Immigration Act 1971 introduced the concept of citizenship, in which only British entities with fairly strong ties to the British Isles (such as Great Britain, Channel Islands and Isle of Man) were eligible to live and work on the islands.

The basis of British citizenship law, currently in force, is the British Citizenship Act of 1981 ^[1] , which establishes a modern system of multiple categories of British nationality, namely:

• British citizens ( British Citizen ),
• British Overseas Territories citizen
• British citizens abroad ( British Overseas citizen ),
• British citizens (overseas countries) ( British National (Overseas) ),
• British subjects
• persons under British patronage ( British protected person ).

Only British and some Commonwealth citizens are automatically eligible to reside in the UK.

The 1981 Act ceased recognition of Commonwealth citizens as British subjects. Only two categories of people remain who are still British citizens: those (formerly known as British stateless citizens) who acquired British citizenship through ties to the former British India, and those who were connected to the Republic of Ireland until 1949, who did statement To preserve British nationality. British nationals associated with the former British India lose British citizenship if they acquire any other.

There are currently six classes of British nationality ^[2] :

British citizenship can be acquired in the following ways:

• Jus soli (land right) - by birth in the UK or qualified British overseas territory by parents who are British citizens at the time of birth, or parents who settled in the UK or overseas territory ^[3] .
• Jus sanguinis (blood right) - by origin, if one of the parents is a citizen of the United Kingdom other than by origin (for example, by birth, adoption, registration or naturalization in the UK). British citizenship by birth is transmitted only to one generation from a parent who is a citizen of the United Kingdom, except by birth if the child was born abroad.
• By naturalization - if a foreigner has been carrying out professional activities in the UK for 6 years, he has the right to apply for citizenship ^[4] .
• By registration.
• By acceptance.

Currently, there is also a citizenship program for major investors in the country's economy.

Visa requirements for British citizens are administrative restrictions on entry established by authorities of other states. In 2017, the British have visa-free access or visas upon arrival in 173 countries and territories, and the British passport takes 4th place in the world in accordance with the visa restrictions index ^[5] .

Some British citizens, namely British citizens, British resident nationals and British overseas citizens associated with Gibraltar, are European Union citizens and thus enjoy the freedom of movement and the right to vote in elections to the European Parliament .

• Commonwealth Citizenship
• European Union Citizenship