- Latest available (Revised)
- Original (As enacted)
Immigration Act 1971
You are here:
What Version
Advanced Features
- Show Geographical Extent(e.g. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- Show Timeline of Changes
Opening Options
More Resources
Changes over time for: Section 2
Changes to legislation:
Immigration Act 1971, Section 2 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 03 December 2024. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
Changes to Legislation
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the legislation in the affected provisions. Use the ‘more’ link to open the changes and effects relevant to the provision you are viewing.
Changes and effects yet to be applied to Section 2:
- Act applied by 2008 c. 4 s. 133(7) (8)
- s. 10(1A)(1B) inserted by 1999 c. 33 Sch. 14 para. 47(3)
- s. 24(1)(fa) inserted by 2023 c. 37 s. 10(2)
- s. 24C-24F inserted by 2016 c. 19 s. 44(2)
- s. 26A(1)(b)(ia) inserted by 2016 c. 19 Sch. 11 para. 25
- s. 27(1)(aa) inserted by 2023 c. 37 s. 10(3)(a)
- s. 27(1)(ba) inserted by 2023 c. 37 s. 10(3)(b)
- s. 28CA(1)(bb) substituted for word in s. 28CA(1)(b) by 2016 c. 19 s. 44(5)
- Sch. 2 para. 27B(4A) inserted by 2004 c. 19 s. 16
- Sch. 2 para. 26(4) inserted by 2016 c. 19 s. 74(1)
- Sch. 2 Pt. 1A inserted by 2016 c. 19 Sch. 13
- Sch. 2 para. 11A inserted by 2023 c. 37 s. 10(4)
Changes and effects yet to be applied to the whole Act associated Parts and Chapters:
Whole provisions yet to be inserted into this Act (including any effects on those provisions):
- s. 10(1A)(1B) inserted by 1999 c. 33 Sch. 14 para. 47(3)
- s. 24(1)(fa) inserted by 2023 c. 37 s. 10(2)
- s. 24C-24F inserted by 2016 c. 19 s. 44(2)
- s. 26A(1)(b)(ia) inserted by 2016 c. 19 Sch. 11 para. 25
- s. 27(1)(aa) inserted by 2023 c. 37 s. 10(3)(a)
- s. 27(1)(ba) inserted by 2023 c. 37 s. 10(3)(b)
- s. 28CA(1)(bb) substituted for word in s. 28CA(1)(b) by 2016 c. 19 s. 44(5)
- Sch. 2 para. 27B(4A) inserted by 2004 c. 19 s. 16
- Sch. 2 para. 26(4) inserted by 2016 c. 19 s. 74(1)
- Sch. 2 Pt. 1A inserted by 2016 c. 19 Sch. 13
- Sch. 2 para. 11A inserted by 2023 c. 37 s. 10(4)
[F12 Statement of right of abode in United Kingdom.U.K.
(1)A person is under this Act to have the right of abode in the United Kingdom if—
(a)he is a British citizen; or
(b)he is a Commonwealth citizen who—
(i)immediately before the commencement of the M1British Nationality Act 1981 was a Commonwealth citizen having the right of abode in the United Kingdom by virtue of section 2(1)(d) or section 2(2) of this Act as then in force; and
(ii)has not ceased to be a Commonwealth citizen in the meanwhile.
(2)In relation to Commonwealth citizens who have the right of abode in the United Kingdom by virtue of subsection (1)(b) above, this Act, except this section [F2, section 5(2) and section 25], shall apply as if they were British citizens; and in this Act (except as aforesaid) “British citizen” shall be construed accordingly.]
Textual Amendments
F1S. 2 substituted (1.1.1983) by British Nationality Act 1981 (c. 61), ss. 39(2), 52(7) (with Sch. 8 para. 8); S.I. 1982/933, art. 2 [Editorial note: According to the Chronological Table of the Statutes (1951-1987) (HMSO, 1989) there were no amendments made to s. 2 between the date of Royal Assent and its substitution on 1.1.1983 and therefore the text of s. 2(1)(d) and (2) as in force immediately before the commencement of the British Nationality Act 1981 is the same as that of the Original (As enacted) Version of this section.]
F2Words in s. 2(2) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Immigration, Nationality and Asylum (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/745), regs. 1(2), 4(2); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1Ss. 1-9, 11 extended (with modifications) (Guernsey) (1.8.1993) by The Immigration (Guernsey) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/1796), arts. 1, 3(1), Sch. 1 Pt. 1
C2Ss. 1-9, 11 extended (with modifications) (Jersey) (1.8.1993) by The Immigration (Jersey) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/1797), arts. 1, 3(1), Sch. 1 Pt. 1 (as amended (17.10.2012) by S.I. 2012/2593, arts. 1, 2(2); and (coming into force in accordance with art. 1 of the amending S.I.) by S.I. 2017/981, Sch. Pt. 1 para. 1 (with art. 6))
Marginal Citations
Options/Help
Print Options
PrintThe Whole Act
PrintThe Whole Part
PrintThis Section only
You have chosen to open The Whole Act
The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open The Whole Act as a PDF
The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download.
Would you like to continue?
You have chosen to open the Whole Act
The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.
Would you like to continue?
Legislation is available in different versions:
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
See additional information alongside the content
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Opening Options
Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once
More Resources
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- correction slips
- links to related legislation and further information resources
Timeline of Changes
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
More Resources
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- correction slips
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- links to related legislation and further information resources
All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. This site additionally contains content derived from EUR-Lex, reused under the terms of the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of documents from the EU institutions. For more information see the EUR-Lex public statement on re-use.