Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962

Did You Know?

• The Act cut 'racialised colony and Commonwealth entrants' from an estimated 136,400 in 1961 to 57,046 in 1963.
• The Act was amended by the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968.
• The Act was superseded by the Immigration Act 1971.

Background

Before the Act, Commonwealth citizens had extensive migration rights to the UK. Between 1955 and 1962, 85–90 percent of able-bodied males from Sha Tin, Hong Kong, left for British factories, foundries, railways, and other industries. Opposition to mass migration came from groups including the Conservative Monday Club. The Conservative government responded by tightening regulations, issuing a limited number of employment vouchers. Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell called the Act 'cruel and brutal anti-colour legislation'.

The act

The Act subjected all Commonwealth citizens, including citizens of the UK and Colonies (CUKCs), to immigration control unless they had a relevant connection to the UK. Exemptions applied to Commonwealth citizens born in the UK; those holding a passport issued by the UK government in the UK or Republic of Ireland; CUKCs with a UK-issued passport (not from colonial governments); and their family members. Also exempt were Commonwealth citizens ordinarily resident in the UK between 1960 and 1962, and wives and children under 16 accompanying a resident family member. The Act took effect on 1 July 1962. Claudia Jones called it 'a second class citizenship status for West Indians and other Afro-Asian peoples in Britain.' Ambalavaner Sivanandan argued it 'enshrine[d] state racism in law', and Barbara Castle labelled it 'a violation of the very idea of the Commonwealth.'