History of nationality in Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a juridically independent area in western Europe, and forms part of the Commonwealth of Nations as a British overseas territory.

[citation needed] By 1753 the civilian population had grown to 1816 persons, the main elements in which 597 were Genoese, 575 Jews and 351 British inhabitants.

[4] With the treaty, Her Britannic Majesty promised the Catholic King of Spain that no Jews or Moors would be permitted to live in Gibraltar.

There was a spike in the percentage of the civilian population of foreign origin, and immigration had a large role in defining nationality.

[6] In 1720, the first permit system was introduced in Gibraltar, aimed at restricting foreign labourers, who were mainly Spanish.

The object of the system was to "preserve peace, order and good government in Gibraltar, to add security to the fortress, and to promote the health of the garrison.

British Subjects were recorded as "native of" either Gibraltar, the UK, Malta, other parts of Her Majesty's dominions and foreign countries.

[10] Furthermore, as a garrison, between 1878 and 1945 adult males outnumbered their female counterparts ten to one, and infants and children made up less than 2% of the community at any point in time.

[11] British soldiers had preferential access to scarce resources such as housing, water, fresh and frozen meat, free medical care, and their own hospital.

Initially, they had no political objectives, and concentrated on matters of a social and economic nature insofar as they affected the merchants.

In 1852 the Governor banned a meeting of merchants, landowners and other local inhabitants which had been arranged for the purpose of petitioning the Secretary of State for the Colonies to set up an inquiry into the civil administration of The Rock.

[citation needed] It is of note that in 1767 the census divided the population into three religious categories: British and Protestant; Roman Catholic; and Jews.

Epidemic disease, in the 1804 case, yellow fever, put the military population at risk, and by extension Britain's ability to control the area.

There was a Genoese population of fishermen who came to Gibraltar since 1840 for the fishing season and would build temporary shelters or live in caves, and by the 1878 census, they had established a permanent village at Catalan Bay.

[25][26] In 1870, the Naturalization Act was reintroduced in Gibraltar, causing Gibraltarian or British women to lose their nationality if they were to wed alien men.

[28] This legislation stated that persons arriving at Gibraltar could be questioned by the police as to their status and purpose for wanting to enter.

Later legislation confirmed that access and rights of residence were not automatically given to British Subjects and they too could be treated as aliens.

There was a rise in civilian population explained as due to the large number of English families who employed female domestic servants.

[32] The Immigration Control Ordinance dealt exclusively with all non-Gibraltarians seeking a permit to enter and reside in Gibraltar.

This ordinance remained firmly in the Governor's area of jurisdiction, since immigration in Gibraltar was defined as a non-domestic matter.

[32] This was a separate ordinance "to define and regulate Gibraltarian status and for matters incidental thereto and connected therewith".

Political life continued, and a City Council was created in Gibraltar in 1921 that replaced the Sanitary Commissioners.

Suffrage was limited to male taxpayers yet the Governor remained a military man, with all legislative and executive authority vested in him.

Gibraltar was correctly judged to have been in acute danger from invasion from Adolf Hitler, with the Nazi blitzkrieg attack plan dubbed Operation Felix.

[36] In 1908, the decision was taken by Britain to erect a fence along the British side of the neutral territory at Gibraltar to reduce sentry duty.

[38] The governments of the blockade period undertook ambitious regeneration programs aimed not only at meeting the demand for improved housing and services, but also at maintaining high employment levels.

Non-EU citizens need both a work and resident permit, and are only likely to get these if they already have a job offer and their employer satisfies the Government that their skills are unique.

In the early years of the 20th century, wealthy individuals started choosing to reside in low tax jurisdictions to reduce their taxable income.

Asset holding and protection still continues in Gibraltar and usually involves trust companies with low taxation.

[46] This aspect of Gibraltar influenced nationality in that it allowed high-net-worth individuals to be granted residence on a discretionary basis.