Migrant communities: pathway to citizenship
We are calling on the next Government to make the pathway to UK citizenship:
Timely.
Affordable.
Fair.
Up and down the country, there are people living in our communities who have migrated to the UK and made this country their home. They have put down roots in Britain, and work, study, worship and volunteer here.
Though almost all will be eligible for British Citizenship eventually, the current pathway to citizenship is long, expensive and unfair. The design and delivery of the current system can actively prevent people who have made the UK their home from becoming British citizens.
For many, it will be more than a decade of limbo, spending tens of thousands of pounds and living with constant stress before they can have the security of permanent residency and access to citizenship. Even worse, many people on the pathway to citizenship will be denied access to basic services and forced into poverty.
Now is the time to build a positive vision of British Citizenship, which allows people who have put down roots in this country to become proud British Citizens, through a pathway to citizenship which is timely, affordable and fair.
I came to the UK nearly 20 years ago to build a better life for my daughter. The UK is my home
but I’m not yet a citizen. Millions of people like me are blocked and struggling to survive when
all we want is to be recognised as British citizens, contribute to society and build our lives.
Mary
From rooted to recognised
Citizens UK leaders have listened to over 2,000 people across the country about their experience of living in Britain without permanent residency. Their experiences shed light on a system that is falling apart and needs urgent reform.
Many people have to wait ten years before they can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain in Britain, and some will have to wait even longer. This stands in contrast to most EU countries, Canada, the US and New Zealand, where temporary residents can become permanent residents in only five years.
Many people are blocked from accessing the welfare safety net because of the “No Recourse to Public Funds” (NRPF) condition on their visa, which prevents them accessing services like childcare entitlements, child benefit, and shelters for homelessness or domestic violence.
After someone lives here long enough to be eligible for citizenship, they have to contend with the most expensive citizenship system in the Western world. The combined cost of applying to be a citizen in Australia, Canada, the USA and France still doesn’t add up to a single application in Britain.
Our new report From Rooted to Recognised: Unblocking the Pathway to Citizenship details the problem of the UK settlement and citizenship system and sets the agenda for what should be done about it.
We make recommendations for initial reforms to the pathway to citizenship that can be made within this parliament as well as outlining principles for longer term comprehensive reform. These changes would enable people who are rooted in our communities to be fully recognised as British.
These experiences have formed the basis of our report From rooted to recognised: Unblocking the Pathway to Citizenship which outlines our vision for transforming the system. The report makes recommendations under three key headings:
- Make acquisition of citizenship for people who have made the UK their home a guiding principle of the migration system.
- Protect children and families who are on the pathway to citizenship.
- Create a fit-for-purpose application system for settlement and citizenship.
These are the first steps towards designing a pathway to citizenship which is timely, affordable and fair.
We all have a right to better pathways that allow us to feel human – to be a citizen of the country we call home. As I have been through the process and lived the experience, it has made me more aware of how distant and worthless you feel waiting for an opportunity to be part of a community. All our situations and stories are different, but the pain, heartache and uncertainty are the same. All we want is a chance to be beneficial to society and use our skills.
Amanda, South London Citizens
How we are making change
Community leaders are making the case for change both in their local constituencies and in Westminster. Citizens UK launched the Citizenship Network as a space for Parliamentarians to work with experts and people who have lived through the citizenship and settlement system to explore ways to improve the pathway to citizenship.
If you want to find out more about migrant organising in your area, and about the campaign to unblock the pathway to citizenship, get in touch.
Campaign timeline
2025
The focus of the current phase is building leadership and community power so that we can engage more MPs to expand the Citizenship Network, campaign for central government to act on our recommendations and opportunities for local change on the issues that impact people on the pathway to citizenship
28 November 2024
Campaign mentioned in Parliament
In the weeks after the launch, Warinder Juss, Labour MP for Wolverhampton West, asked a question about the Pathway to Citizenship to the Leader of the House after our launch event.
20 November 2024
Report launch in Parliament
We launched From Rooted to Recognised: Unblocking The Pathway to Citizenship in an event at the Houses of Parliament with over 80 attendees from 40 constituencies.
It was co-chaired by Helen Hayes MP and Grace Akinyemi, a member of our Leadership Team. The launch included constituency teams from across England including London, Tyne & Wear, East Midlands, West Midlands, Wales, Essex, West Yorkshire and Thames Valley regions. Over a dozen parliamentarians attended the event, including two Ministers.
Establishing Parliamentary Citizenship Network
The Citizenship Network will facilitate parliamentarians to connect and drive reform on the pathway to citizenship from within Westminster. Members of the Network agree to “speak up for constituents facing challenges on the pathway to citizenship and be part of the solution by exploring ways to make the pathway to citizenship timely, affordable and fair.”
October - November 2024
Building relationships and training leaders
We met with hundreds of community leaders at regional summits provided opportunities for face-to-face relationship building, training, and development of the strategy.
Meeting with MPs
Ahead of the launch of our report, a total of 42 constituency teams up and down the country met with their MPs. Community leaders explained our asks and invited their MP to join us at our report launch in Parliament.
2023
Development of the Pathway to Citizenship campaign
In 2023, our members launched a campaign for a timely, affordable, and fair pathway to citizenship. Through a listening campaign engaging over 2,000 people, we uncovered widespread injustices and hope for change. Community leaders, alongside experts and partners, developed transformative five-year campaign goals, ratified by our membership.
2019
Winning free school meals for pupils with parents who have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)
In 2019, Citizens UK launched the free school meals campaign with London Citizens and UCL's Faculty of Education to address the impact of NRPF on children. Lewisham Council committed to providing meals regardless of immigration status, and during the pandemic, a broad coalition secured a temporary government allowance for the children of families with NRPF to access free school meals. In March 2022, this was made permanent by Minister Will Quince, benefiting up to 250,000 children. Young leaders celebrated with collective action in June 2022.
2017
Children into Citizens begins
After our listening campaign in 2017, we launched Children into Citizens to address the cost of child citizenship fees. Through advocacy, media, and actions, the campaign led to a 2020 High Court ruling deeming the fee unlawful, upheld in 2021. By 2022, the Home Office introduced fee waivers for some children, marking a major victory for the campaign.
1996 - 2017
Since its launch in 1996, Citizens UK has been developing the leadership of migrant communities. In this time dozens of migrant led campaigns have been successful including the Living Wage campaign, Strangers into Citizens, and the end of indefinite detention of children as well as campaigns of refugee resettlement and reuniting child refugees with their families.
News
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Citizens UK welcomes government decision not to reintroduce child detention in the UK's new Asylum BillThe Government has decided not to reintroduce child detention for immigration purposes in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill. We hope that this time, it’s for good.
Read more -
Meet the team behind our Migrant and Refugee Organising workAt Citizens UK, we’re building a powerful movement to welcome refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers. Meet the team working on the campaign.
Read more