Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how she plans to assess applicants for British citizenship who cannot meet the continuous residency requirement as they were unable to return to the UK from abroad as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

We are taking a pragmatic approach to the coronavirus outbreak and continue to monitor the situation in all countries. Individuals who are following official advice will not be penalised as a result of issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is discretion within the British Nationality Act 1981 to overlook excess absences. We would normally do so where there are compelling or compassionate grounds, such as the impact of the global pandemic.