KEY POINTS:
The British government is considering axing the rights of its Commonwealth ancestors to live and work in the United Kingdom.
The visa currently enables New Zealanders aged 17 and over with British grandparents to four years residency with full working privileges.
After four years in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth residents can apply for full residency in the United Kingdom, a path followed by many.
The current system, established in 1972, threatens to be replaced by a points-based system, with tougher restrictions New Zealand and other Commonwealth citizens seeking permits and obtaining British citizenship.
A Hone Office green paper on 'charting new pathways to citizenship' states, " We need to decide whether a Commonwealth national's ancestral connections to the UK are sufficient to allow them to come here to work without the need to satisfy a resident labour market test."
The paper asks the question '"Do you think the UK ancestry route should be abolished?"
The general theme of the green paper suggests the current ancestry regulations should be axed.
Nearly 9000 ancestry visa holders came to the UK in 2006, and around 20,000 Commonwealth citizens have applied for settlement since 2002.
