HISTORICAL RÉSUMÉ

By the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act of 1914 all of the Dominions were affected and the Dominions were recognized eo nomine for purposes of future legislation.

BRITISH NATIONALITY AND STATUS OF

ALIENS ACT

[4 & 5 George V, cap. 17]

1914

An Act to consolidate and amend the Enactments relating to British nationality and the status of Aliens.

BE IT ENACTED by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

PART I.-Natural-born British Subjects

1.-(1) The following persons shall be deemed to be natural-born British subjects, namely:

PART II.-Naturalization of Aliens

2.-(1) The Secretary of State may grant a certificate of naturalization to an alien who makes an application for the purpose, and satisfies the Secretary of State

8.-(1) The Government of any British possession shall have the same power to grant a certificate of naturalization as the Secretary of State has under this Act, and the provisions of this Act as to the grant and revocation of such a certificate shall apply accordingly, with the substitution of the Government of the possession for the Secretary of State, and the possession for the United

Kingdom, and also, in a possession where any language is recognized as on an equality with the English language, with the substitution of the English language or that language for the English language:

Provided that in any British possession other than British India and a Dominion specified in the First schedule to this Act, the powers of the government of the possession under this section shall be exercised by the Governor or a person acting under his authority, but shall be subject in each case to the approval of the Secretary of State, and any certificate proposed to be granted shall be submitted to him for his approval.

(2) Any certificate of naturalization granted under this section shall have the same effect as a certificate of naturalization granted by the Secretary of State under this Act.

9.-(1) This part of this Act shall not, nor shall any certificate of naturalization granted thereunder, have effect within any of the Dominions specified in the first schedule to this Act, unless the Legislature of that Dominion adopts this part of this Act.

(2) Where the Legislature of any such Dominion has adopted this part of this Act, the Government of the Dominion shall have the like powers to make regulations with respect to certificates of naturalization and to oaths of allegiance as are conferred by this Act on the Secretary of State.

(3) The Legislature of any such Dominion which adopts this part of this Act may provide how and by what Department of the Government the powers conferred by this part of this Act on the Government of a British possession are to be exercised.

(4) The Legislature of any such Dominion may at any

time rescind the adoption of this part of this Act, provided that no such rescission shall prejudicially affect any legal rights existing at the time of such rescission.

SCHEDULES

FIRST SCHEDULE.-List of Dominions

The Dominion of Canada.

The Commonwealth of Australia (including for the purposes of this Act the territory of Papua and Norfolk Island).

The Dominion of New Zealand.

The Union of South Africa.

Newfoundland.