Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the 1984 United Kingdom Memorandum creates a continuing international-law restriction upon granting British citizenship or right of abode to British National (Overseas) status holders; and whether the present restrictions arise from domestic legislation, government policy, or both.

The UK Government remains committed to the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

British nationality law is set out in statute. We have no plans to amend legislation to automatically give British citizenship to all British Nationals (Overseas) (BN(O)s), but there are legislative provisions which allow BN(O)s to apply for British citizenship if they have competed a period of UK residence or have no other citizenship or nationality.

Under the BN(O) visa route, BN(O)s and their dependant family members can apply to come to the UK, enabling them to live, work and study, and thereby providing a pathway to British citizenship and the right of abode in the UK.