Legislation

• 1905 Aliens Act - Only people with jobs or money could migrate to Britain
• 1948 British Nationality Act - Millions of people in the British colonies and former colonies were given the right to enter and stay in Britain
• 1962 Commonwealth Immigrants Act - Voucher system was introduced; only those with valuable skills and could fill the job shortages were given vouchers which gave them permission to migrate
• 1968 Commonwealth Immigrants Act - Number of vouchers were reduced; applicants had to have been born in Britain or have parents/grandparents born there
• 1971 Immigration Act - Vouchers were replaced with work permits for specific time periods
• 1981 Nationality Act - Automatic right to stay in Britain was no longer possible for non-British citizens