Complex sentence: Becoming a British National (Overseas) was therefore neither an automatic nor an involuntary process and many eligible people who had the requisite connection with Hong Kong never applied to become British Nationals (Overseas).
Split into simpler sentences: Becoming a British National (Overseas) was therefore neither an automatic nor an involuntary process. Nevertheless, many eligible people who had the requisite connection with Hong Kong never applied to become British Nationals (Overseas).