Japanese grandmother born in Hong Kong before WW2

[yoshi_jp]

Hello all

Just out of curiosity, I tried to look into the British Nationality Act and related regulations, but I am just getting confused. Currently, I live in the UK as a Tier 1 General migrant and I am a Japanese citizen by birth.

My grandmother was born in Hong Kong and relocated to mainland Japan long before the WW2. My mother was born in Japan in 1948. I was born in Japan in 1975.

Have I or my mother got any of those "residual" categories of British nationality from the colonial era?

Thanks!

[JAJ]

Grandmother would have been a British subject by birth in Hong Kong (unless her parents were diplomats, she was also born before the wartime occupation which would also have caused an exclusion).

Assuming no other connections with the UK or another colony,

On 1.1.1949 she would have become a Citizen of the UK & Colonies (CUKC).

On 1.1.1983 she would have become a British Dependent Territories citizen (BDTC).

And on 30.6.1997 she would have lost her BDTC status (assuming she did not register for British National (Overseas)). There were provisions to give British Overseas citizenship to former Hong Kong BDTCs who did not register for British National (Overseas), but this only affected those with no other nationality on 30.6.1997. As a Japanese citizen, your grandmother would not have been affected.

Your grandmother would not have passed on her British nationality to any children born before 1983. And the provisions introduced in 2003 to allow people to register as British citizens based on a British mother do not apply to those cases where a mother was from a colony rather than the UK itself.

If your plan is to become a British citizen in the medium term, have you checked to see if you will keep or lose your Japanese citizenship, and if you will lose it, is that a problem?

[yoshi_jp]

Thanks a lot for your detailed explanaiton.

So, my grandmother who passed away in 2001 was actually a British national until 1997 i.e. very shortly before her death at 87, right? That is, indeed, very interesting. That makes me a third-generation British diaspora who has just come "home". LOL

If I intentionally apply for and acquire any nationality, I will automatically lose my Japanese citizenship and my Japanese passport will be void on the date of my naturalisation. Practically, it won't cause any real issue as the Japanese government gives away work visas to former Japanese citizens very casually.

Anyway, I feel no sense of urgency to become a British citizen, either.

Once again, thanks a lot!