B

1. B rating

   This term is applied to a sponsor under the points-based system for coming to the United Kingdom to work, train or study. It is the rating awarded by us when a sponsor joins the register of sponsors. A B rating is a transitional rating for a sponsor who is under a sponsorship action plan.

2. B-rated

   This term is applied to a sponsor under the points-based system for coming to the United Kingdom to work, train or study. It is the rating awarded by us when a sponsor joins the register of sponsors. A B rating is a transitional rating for a sponsor who is under a sponsorship action plan.

3. Biometric

   Biometrics is the science of using digital technology to recognise a person from a physical characteristic (for example a fingerprint or iris pattern of the eye) or another unique personal characteristic (for example a voice pattern or handwriting). These characteristics are your biometric information.

4. Border

   The place at which someone leaves another country and enters the United Kingdom. Our border is mainly the coastline around England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, but also includes the line between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In practice, a person who enters the United Kingdom legally will do so by being permitted to enter by an immigration officer at one of our border control points at a port or airport. Some of these border control points are outside the United Kingdom and a passenger must pass through them before being allowed to travel to the United Kingdom.

5. Branch

   A branch is one office, location, or campus of an organisation that has two or more of these.

6. Branches

   Branches are different offices, locations, or campuses of the same organisation.

7. British citizen

   British citizens have the right to live in the United Kingdom permanently and are free to leave and re-enter the country at any time. British citizenship is given to people who have a close connection with the United Kingdom, which includes the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. A close connection may be by birth, adoption, descent, marriage, registration or naturalisation.

8. British citizenship

   British citizenship is given to people who have a close connection with the United Kingdom, which includes the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. A close connection may be by birth, adoption, descent, marriage, registration or naturalisation.

9. British dependent territories citizenship

   Now known as a British overseas territories citizen. You will be a British overseas territories citizen if you are connected with a British overseas territory because you, your parents or your grandparents were born, registered or naturalised in that British overseas territory. (See British overseas territories.)

10. British dependent territory

    Now known as British overseas territories. The territories are: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands and Dependencies, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, St Helena and Dependencies, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Virgin Islands. (The sovereign bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia do not count as qualifying territories for nationality purposes.)
    South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands were the dependencies of the Falkland Islands, but were not dependent territories between 3 October 1985 and 3 December 2001.
    Hong Kong stopped being a British dependent territory on 30 June 1997 when sovereignty returned to China. St Christopher and Nevis was a British dependent territory until 18 September 1983, when it became an independent Commonwealth country.
    

11. British diplomatic post

    A British diplomatic post is a United Kingdom embassy, high commission or consulate.

12. British extraterritorial jurisdiction

    The application of British law to a person with British nationality who is living in another country.

13. British national

    A British national is anyone who has a form of British status. There are six forms of British nationality: British citizenship, British overseas citizenship, British overseas territories citizenship, British protected person, British subject, and British national (overseas).

    Only British citizens have the right to live and work in the United Kingdom.

14. British national (overseas)

    A person who was a British overseas territories citizen by connection with Hong Kong was able to register as a British national (overseas) before 1 July 1997. It is no longer possible to become a British national (overseas).

15. British nationality

    There are six forms of British nationality: British citizenship, British overseas citizenship, British overseas territories citizenship, British protected person, British subject, and British national (overseas).

    Only British citizens have the right to live and work in the United Kingdom.

16. British overseas citizen

    British overseas citizenship is a category of British citizenship that was gained by certain residents of Hong Kong on 30 June 1997, when sovereignty of Hong Kong returned to China.

17. British overseas territories citizen

    You will be a British overseas territories citizen if you are connected with a British overseas territory because you or your parents were born, registered or naturalised in that British overseas territory. If you were born before 1 January 1983, you may gain the citizenship through your grandparents. (See British overseas territory.)

18. British overseas territory

    These were formerly known as the British dependent territories. The territories are: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands and Dependencies, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, St Helena and Dependencies, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Virgin Islands. (The sovereign bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia do not count as qualifying territories for nationality purposes.)

    South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands were the dependencies of the Falkland Islands, but were not British overseas territories between 3 October 1985 and 3 December 2001.

    Hong Kong stopped being a British overseas territory on 30 June 1997 when sovereignty returned to China. St Christopher and Nevis was a British overseas territory until 18 September 1983, when it became an independent Commonwealth country.

19. British protected person

    This is a form of British nationality held by a resident of a former British protectorate who did not take the citizenship of the country to which he/she belonged before it stopped being a protectorate. See the page Who is a British protected person? for more information.

20. British protectorate

    Protectorates and protected states were foreign territories to which British protection was extended in some form. See Who is a British protected person? for more information about this.

21. British subject

    Until 1949, nearly everyone with a close connection to the United Kingdom was called a British subject. All citizens of Commonwealth countries were British subjects until January 1983. Since that date, very few categories of people have qualified as British subjects. It is a form of British nationality.

22. Browser

    A browser, short for web browser, is a program used to view websites and surf the internet. Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari are examples of browsers.

23. Business people schemes

    Immigration categories under which someone can apply to come to the United Kingdom as a business person to run a business full-time. See Working in the UK for more information about these categories.

24. By descent

    British citizenship gained through your parents. This type of citizenship cannot normally be passed on to your own children. (See also Otherwise than by descent.)

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