Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a reduced-cost pathway to British citizenship for children who (a) were born in the UK, (b) have resided in the UK for 10 years or more and (c) are in full-time education.

No recent assessment has been made of potential cost reductions for specific cohorts of children applying to register as British citizens.

Fees for immigration and nationality applications are kept under review. From 08 April 2026, the fee for an application to register as a British citizen for individuals under the age of 18 was reduced from £1,214 to £1,000. The reduction aligns with the Government’s commitment to consider measures to reduce the financial barriers to young adults, who have lived here through their childhood, from accessing British nationality.

Children seeking to register as a British citizen will have the fee waived if they are able to credibly demonstrate that they cannot afford the fee. In addition, where an application has been made by or on behalf of a child who is looked after by a Local Authority, no fee is payable and it is not necessary for the child’s financial circumstances to be evidenced.

Information on eligibility for under-18 Fee Waiver applications can be found on GOV.UK at the link below:

Get a citizenship application fee waiver if you’re under 18 - GOV.UK.