B.V.I. Wednesday, September 30 – Seven persons were registered as British citizens yesterday at a ceremony presided over by Registrar-General, Mrs. Stephanie Benn at the Governor’s Office Conference Room.
The seven persons were previously naturalised as British Overseas Territory (BOT) citizens. Following their registration, they are now eligible to apply for a British passport, which allows them to enjoy the rights of residence and employment across the European Union, and entry into the United States under the Visa-Waiver Programme.
His Excellency the Governor David Pearey in his brief remarks congratulated the new citizens and wished them the best in whichever directions their lives take them.
The Governor explained that the process of obtaining British citizenship is taken seriously by United Kingdom Ministers.
“British law now requires that those who acquire British nationality in this way must not only demonstrate a commitment to the United Kingdom, but also a basic knowledge of its history, institutions and languages. In respect of British Overseas Territory Citizens we take this as “an indication of the special links, historic and current, between the British Virgin Islands and Britain,” the Governor said.
The Registrar General also expressed her congratulations to the new citizens and explained some of the rights and privileges they are entitled to as British citizens, such as the right to reside in the United Kingdom (UK) and the freedom to travel to the UK for purposes of study, work and leisure without prior permission.
Mrs. Benn reminded the new citizens of the new arrangements governing the application process to apply for a British passport. “Applications for British Citizens passports are now being processed and printed in Washington. These changes are part of a global initiative to streamline the Foreign and Commonwealth Office passport operation and to reduce administration costs while improving security and maintaining a high quality of customer service. In addition, they will no longer be accepting laminated documents and passport pictures must now be on a grey or cream background.”
As a result of the British Overseas Territories Act of 2002, British citizenship was extended to all BOT citizens. Persons naturalised as BOT citizens following the enactment of the Act on May 21, 2002, do not automatically become British citizens but are eligible to register as British citizens.
The extension of British citizenship to BOT citizens was part of the UK Government’s 1999 White Paper entitled Partnership for Progress and Prosperity, which outlined UK policy in respect of the overseas territories.
British Virgin Islands News