Securing Pathways to Citizenship for All: Calling the UK home
Securing Pathways to Citizenship for All: Calling the UK home
We believe the United Kingdom should offer safety, dignity and protection to all those that call it home.
British citizenship is more than a legal status. It captures a sense of belonging, rights and responsibilities that allow our democracy and communities to thrive. It allows those who have put down roots and made the UK their home to fully integrate, contribute and belong.
This month, the government made a change to the process of becoming a British Citizen that will deny 1,000s of people the chance of ever getting their citizenship no matter what they do and no matter how long they live in the UK. The government changed the guidance and made it so that no one who comes to the UK via a ‘dangerous journey’ can become a British Citizen. That means that they may get the chance to live in the UK permanently (so called indefinite leave to remain) but will never be fully accepted as a Citizen, simply due to the way they got the UK.
However, for many fleeing war and conflict, the only way to get to the UK is by a dangerous journey. Due to a lack of safe and legal routes, people in pursuit of safety can fall victim to life-threatening journeys and exploitation by criminal gangs. Further penalising those making the U.K. home will not only fail to solve the challenges we are facing, but also create a stark division between those who can participate in our democracy fully and those who will forever be excluded, denied safety and prevented from a full sense of belonging.
I have Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK. In 2016, when my life was in danger, I couldn’t wait for a visa to save myself. Without my own will, I was brought to the UK through a dangerous route by traffickers to a destination they chose. I emphasise that it was not my decision or choice - I was simply at risk in my home country.
It is unfair that after spending nine years in this country, I have neither the citizenship of my home country, Iran, nor that of the UK. Am I supposed to live without citizenship for the rest of my life?
This decision is extremely cruel and unjust. Being forced to leave my country because of my faith and beliefs, which differed from the ruling system of the Islamic Republic, was already a devastating experience. Living in exile, far from my family, alone, and struggling with all the challenges of displacement is enough to break a person. Do not add the burden of being without citizenship to this suffering.
Pouria, Iranian refugee
Before this change, the pathway to citizenship was already arduous, restrictive, and often prohibitively expensive. Many of our neighbours have put down roots in the UK over decades, but have been unable to afford the cost of settlement and citizenship, and will now be systematically excluded from our community. This helps no-one: our system pushes people into destitution and keeps people out of the workforce, meaning lost potential in our economy and our communities.
The UK already has the most expensive citizenship system in the Western world. The combined cost of applying to become a citizen in Australia, Canada, the USA and France still does not add up to the cost of a single application in Britain. Many refugees will now be faced with the impossible decision of whether to pay £1,630 for citizenship and risk having their application rejected, losing this fee, or not to apply at all and live with ongoing insecurity.
Following the disturbing and violent riots of the past summer, we need to do all we can to encourage social cohesion and so we urge the Home Secretary to reconsider this decision, for the safety of those seeking sanctuary and the wellbeing and cohesion of all our communities. Previous Labour governments have recognised the crucial role citizenship plays on the path to integration of refugees, and crucially, to social cohesion. We ask the Home Secretary to reverse this change and ensure everyone who has made the UK home has a fair, timely and affordable pathway to citizenship.
Now is the time to make the pathway to citizenship fairer for all.
Why this matters
Our volunteer group works hard to help people integrate in the UK. We're all volunteers and help refugees who have come from very difficult situations to learn English, find training, work, schools and homes. Many are in grief or depressed, so it's vital for their mental health to have a path forward.
Refugees need to feel that if they keep going then they can rebuild their lives. UK citizenship and being fully part of the community is the goal. So blocking citizenship for people who have done nothing wrong is a real kick in the teeth for them, but it's also a blow for us as volunteers.
George, Volunteer and Trustee of Wolverhampton City of Sanctuary that run a drop in Weekly at St Chad's and St Mark's Church Wolverhampton with 80 -100 asylum seekers
It's incredibly concerning that someone who has escaped war and has come for sanctuary is being denied a full future here with citizenship. To say they will never be able to fully settle in this country is demoralising and traumatising. Stripping all sense of belonging and identity will have devastating effects not only on the individual, but in all of our communities and our society.
Laura Marziale, Director of Creating Ground CIC supporting Migrant and Refugee Women
I feel the pain for my fellow sanctuary seekers who will be left in limbo forever, not being able to rebuild their lives, plan their future, as if the years of limbo are not already enough
Citizens UK community leader
As a refugee who received my Leave to Remain less than a year ago, I have continuously strived to improve myself and align with British values and society. I’ve done this not only for my personal growth but also to contribute meaningfully to the society that welcomed me. However, I must ask: will I truly be able to call the UK “home” and be recognised as a citizen? My journey, like so many others, has been shaped by trauma, danger, and obstacles that I had no choice but to escape.
Mitra, Citizens UK community leader
Citizens UK has a range of projects and campaigns calling for an end to the hostile environment for refugees and migrants in the UK. There are so many ways you can join our movement - from helping a refugee family resettle in their new home to lobbying the Government for equal and affordable access to Citizenship.
Read more about our different campaigns and find out how you can get involved.