Immigration Law

COMMON PRINCIPLES

Nationality law in Europe tends to be based upon Napoleonic Code which established that for purposes of nationality, that of the father was primary. For many years, therefore, in Europe and in former European colonies, women could not transmit their nationality to their children born in wedlock (those children born outside of marriage could often acquire their mother's nationality as there were provisions so that no child would be Stateless ). Many of these laws have since been changed, with the Arab States being an exception. There, women cannot transmit their nationality to their children; instead children receive the nationality of their fathers. Many countries also have provisions stating that native-born children of accrediated foreign diplomatic staff/officers do not acquire that nationality.

Article 15 of the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights states:

:# Everyone has the right to a nationality.
:# No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Today, nationality law is based either on , Switzerland ).

NATIONALITY ISSUES IN POST-COLONIAL CONTEXT

Often in post-colonial situations, sorting out the nationalities of settlers, colonists and subjects was difficult and often a highly politically-charged process, particularly in the United Kingdom and in so-called settler colonies of Africa, such as South Africa , Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe ), Uganda and Hong Kong . For example see History Of British Nationality Law

SEE ALSO