United Kingdom - flag United Kingdom - Passport & Nationality - NEW - British Citizenship by Discretion (Hong Kong - Wedlock)

New legislation (from April 2022) now remedies the older gender discrimination in the old British nationality law. One such example relates to the registration of British citizens connected to the former British colony of Hong Kong). The original legislation allowed up to 50,000 Hong Kong residents to be registered as British citizens.

It would not have been possible to register a child as a British citizen under this scheme if the child was born out of wedlock. The older legislation did not recognise the father in the eyes of the law, and the new legislation can allow for such a retrospective registration. It requires the following:

- A father who registered as a British citizen in the years before Hong Kong's handover to China;

- A child of this father was born before 19 June 1997;

- The child was born before the father's registration; AND

- The child was born out of wedlock.

An anomaly in this new legislation is that such a registration means that the applicant becomes British otherwise than by Descent, and any children under the age of 18 can also be registered as British citizens.

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Ask Philip Gamble whether you (or your children) have a claim to British nationality.

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Learn more about these routes to British Nationality:

WhatPassport.com is a specialist UK Nationality and British Citizenship site offering an online search and assessment. Claims to hold a British Passport can be complex and the site offers a quick, simple search to give you the answers. While many people qualify for the UK Ancestry Visa based on holding a Commonwealth passport with a UK born grandmother or grandfather, we have found that if you have a grandparent born in the UK, or if your mother is British or your father is British, then there are several scenarios where you can claim British Nationality and the right to hold a British Passport. This stems from Britain’s collection of British Colonies, British Protectorates and British Protected States in the middle of last century and the Nationality rules concerning what are now the countries of the Commonwealth.

WhatPassport.com is a subsidiary of Sable International.

Sable International offers a range of services relating to UK and Australian immigration. For over 20 years, we have been helping people with their UK and Australian visa applications. We assist with applications for Ancestry visas, spouse visas, work visas, Tier 1 visas, UK working holiday visas, UK dependant visas, Tier 4 visas, UK Visitor visas, sponsorship visas or UK permanent residency or indefinite leave to remain. We also specialise in UK visa extensions. If you’ve overstayed your visa, our Overstayer Status Trace service can assist to regularise your visa status.