Migrants arriving illegally within the UK in small boats or stowed away in lorries will likely be refused British citizenship, new Residence Workplace steerage states.
The “Good Character” steerage for immigration employees has been modified to say individuals who have arrived within the UK illegally “having made a dangerous journey… will normally be refused citizenship” from 10 February, no matter once they arrived.
It says a harmful journey consists of “but is not limited to, travelling by small boat or concealed in a vehicle or other conveyance”.
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The steerage clarifies this doesn’t embrace arriving as a passenger on a industrial airline.
Beforehand, refugees who arrived by irregular routes needed to wait 10 years earlier than being thought-about for citizenship.
The Residence Workplace stated the change “further strengthens” measures to make it clear anybody getting into the UK illegally will likely be refused British citizenship.
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Individuals arriving in small boats have risen by virtually a 3rd since Labour took workplace, with practically 25,000 individuals arriving between 4 July 2024 and 6 February 2025 – 28% larger than the identical dates a yr earlier than.
It is usually the second highest determine since data started in 2018.
Some Labour MPs and the Refugee Council have condemned the newest steerage as they are saying it’ll imply refugees can reside within the UK however is not going to be allowed to have a spot in society.
Labour MP Stella Creasy stated on X the steerage “should be changed asap”.
“If we give someone refugee status, it can’t be right to then refuse them route to become a British citizen,” she wrote.
“To say they can have a home in our country, but never a place in our society and be forever second class.”
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The brand new steerage says small boats arrivals is not going to get citizenship
The Refugee Council stated the change “flies in the face of reason” and stated the British public need refugees within the UK “to integrate and contribute to their new communities, so it makes no sense for the government to erect more barriers”.
“We urge ministers to urgently reconsider,” Enver Solomon, CEO of the NGO stated.
A Residence Workplace spokesperson stated: “There are already rules that can prevent those arriving illegally from gaining citizenship.
“This coverage steerage additional strengthens measures to make it clear that anybody who enters the UK illegally, together with small boat arrivals, faces having a British citizenship software refused.”
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Labour’s manifesto promised to “smash the gangs”, with the federal government making a Border Safety Command and introducing new powers for authorities to forestall individuals smugglers from travelling, cease cell phone use and shut down financial institution accounts.
On Monday, the second studying of the federal government’s Border, Safety, Asylum and Immigration Invoice was handed with an awesome majority.
The invoice formally scraps the Conservatives’ plan to ship unlawful immigrants to Rwanda and gives the authorized backing to spice up police powers towards individuals smugglers.
The Conservatives haven’t but responded to the brand new steerage however chief Kemi Badenoch final week stated she would toughen up citizenship guidelines to make it harder for brand new immigrants to have the ability to completely settle within the UK.
