ABSTRACT
Immigration is controlled under the Immigration Act 1971. This replaced earlier systems of control, which had developed separately for aliens and Commonwealth citizens. The control of aliens began in this century with the Aliens Act 1905, passed to restrict Jewish immigration, which was replaced and enhanced by the Aliens Restriction Acts of 1914 and 1919; this control was characterized by the wide-ranging discretion given to the Home Secretary. British subjects, however, were not subject to control, and the British Nationality Act 1948 provided that citizens of independent Commonwealth countries, as well as citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies (UKC citizens), should continue to be British subjects.
