For more than 36 years the British government has allowed Australians and other Commonwealth nationals whose parents were born in Britain to live and work there for four years, and eventually apply to settle in Britain permanently. The so-called "ancestry visa" is generally used by nationals of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, although it is also available to citizens of India. Around 8,500 ancestry visa holders entered the UK in 2006, and about 20,000 Commonwealth citizens have applied for settlement since 2002. Now, however, the governmen is proposing to abolish the ancestry visa as part of an overhaul of its citizenship and immigration laws.