U COMMONWEALTH IMMIGRATION INTO BRITAIN NTIL 1962 Britain had freely admitted citizens of other Commonwealth countries for residence and a quarter of the world's population was thus entitled to enter and settle in Britain at will. In the early 1950s increasing numbers began to exercise this right with the result that by 1961 (in which year it was estimated 170,000 immigrants from other Commonwealth countries entered Britain) it became clear that the rate of flow of Commonwealth immigrants was exceeding Britain's capacity to absorb them, particularly since the majority tended to congregate in already overcrowded areas of the country. It was therefore decided reluctantly that immigration would have to be controlled. COMMONWEALTH IMMIGRANTS ACTS 1962 AND 1968 Part I of the 1962 Act, which came into operation on 1st July 1962, for an initial period of 18 months, subjected to control all Commonwealth citizens except, broadly speaking, those born in the United Kingdom and those holding passports issued by a United Kingdom authority. Part I of the Act was extended annually for periods of one year. During 1967 there was a rapid increase in the number of citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies of Asian origin coming to this country from East Africa. In order to prevent the immigration policy from being undermined by this influx of people not subject to control under the 1962 Act, the Government decided it was necessary to introduce immediate legislation. The 1968 Act, which was passed on 1st March 1968, extended immigration control to certain citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies who did not have a specific connection with the United Kingdom. Its effect was to extend immigration control to citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies who held United Kingdom passports issued abroad, unless they or one of their parents or grandparents-were born or naturalised in the United Kingdom or acquired citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies by adoption or registration in the United Kingdom or by registration in what was at the time an independent Commonwealth country. Under the 1968 Act special vouchers were issued to heads of households whose exemption from immigration control had been ended by the Act and who wished to settle in the United Kingdom. The dependants of a voucher holder were entitled to accompany him to, or join him in, the United Kingdom under the normal rules of immigration control. These arrangements continue under the Immigration Act 1971. Statistics for immigration from the Commonwealth show that for the 12 months period ending 31st December 1972, 1,803 employment voucher holders and 60,793 others were admitted for settlement: these figures were published as Cmmd. 5285 in April 1973. IMMIGRATION ACT 1971 On 28th October 1971 the Immigration Act 1971 was passed and it came fully into force on 1st January 1973. This act replaced all previous immigration legislation with one permanent statute, and introduced a single system of immigration control which applies both to Commonwealth citizens and to foreign |