§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current waiting time for persons holding British overseas citizenship who do not have an automatic right of abode but have applied, for instance, on quota systems, for the right of abode, broken down by each country of application.
§ Mr. WaddingtonCertain British overseas citizens are eligible for admission to the United Kingdom under the special voucher scheme introduced in 1968. A British overseas citizen who meets the requirements of this scheme may be issued with a special voucher, which does not confer on the holder a right of abode in the United Kingdom but enables him to come to this country for immediate settlement.
In India, applicants for special vouchers who were interviewed at the end of 1985 had waited eight years but current estimates suggest that those now applying will have to wait for about four years as the number of applications lodged has declined in recent years. In East Africa applicants for special vouchers were interviewed within 1½ months and there are no queues elsewhere.