Citizenship

In Athens during 462–429 BC, citizenship determined who could take part in democratic government. Male citizens over 18 could attend the ecclesia, or assembly, where they debated and voted on public decisions, including war, peace and alliances. This was direct democracy: citizens participated themselves rather than leaving every decision to elected representatives.

Immigration controls determine who may enter and stay; citizenship identifies someone’s legal membership of a country. These were increasingly separated. The Immigration Act 1971 distinguished people with the right of abode—the right to live in and enter Britain without immigration restrictions—from those who needed permission.

Citizenship concerns legal membership and rights; immigration legislation concerns who may enter and remain in a country. The two are connected, but they are not identical.