The Immigration Act 1971 (c 77) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning immigration and nearly entirely remaking the field of British immigration law. The Act, as with the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962, and that of 1968, restricts immigration, especially primary immigration into the UK. It introduced the concept of patriality or right of abode. It was also partly passed to legally clarify the rights of Commonwealth citizens within the United Kingdom in preparation for membership of the European Communities (EC) in which the United Kingdom would become a member state from 1 January 1973. It was coincidentally the same day which the Act came into full legal force which gave not only new automatic rights to EC member state citizens but would also give them priority over non-EC citizens (including overseas Commonwealth citizens) under the obligations of the Treaty of Rome, of which the UK become a signatory though the Treaty of Accession, signed on 22 January 1972. In relation to deportation notices, the Act is referenced at sections 11 and 23 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Background Harold Wilson's Labour government proposed the Commonwealth Immigrants act of 1968 in response to the threat of 200,000 Asian immigrants leaving Kenya in 1967 due to its attempts at 'Africanisation'. The act was passed in just three days, partly due to the support and fierce drive of then-Home Secretary, James Callaghan. This broke away from the non-discriminatory immigration policy that had preceded it. The UK Government saw a need to appease Canada, New Zealand, and Australia over the future negative impact on them when Britain would join the European Communities, a matter which would be hardest on people who had emigrated from Britain in the expectation of continued close ties. Summary One result of the Act was to stop the permanent migration of workers from the overseas members of the Commonwealth of Nations, unless they met certain tests. It elaborated the definition of "patrial" migrants, first introduced in the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968, as persons born in the United Kingdom and persons who had resided there for the previous five years or longer. Right of abode The Act limited the right to enter and live in the United Kingdom to certain subsets of Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies with ties to the UK itself. That wording of the measure introduced minor confusion into the concept