British Nationality: Applications

(asked on 3rd July 2019) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken to ensure that a person eligible to apply for UK citizenship is not prevented from doing so as a result of the fee structure.


Answered by
Caroline Nokes Portrait
Caroline Nokes
This question was answered on 8th July 2019

An assessment of the impact of all border, immigration and citizenship (BIC) fees was published as an associated document to the Immigration and
Nationality Fees (Regulations) 2018. Whilst the assessment doesn’t focus on
affordability, which would be a very subjective matter, it does include
estimates of price elasticity. Policy Equality Statements are prepared alongside proposed fee changes.

The relevant information can be found via the following link:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2018/59/pdfs/ukia_20180059_en.pdf

Additionally, the Home Office keeps its fees for immigration and nationality under regular review and changes to individual charges need to be made with a view to maintaining the overall purpose of the fees and charging legislation.

The Home Office constantly strives to achieve the right balance between ensuring that individuals are able to obtain status in the UK and access appropriate services, without adding burden to the taxpayer.

Applying for British nationality is not mandatory and many individuals who have settlement/ indefinite leave to remain (ILR) status choose not to apply. This is because, in addition to lawful permanent residence in the UK, a person with indefinite leave to remain has full access to the UK labour market, education, healthcare and the ability to sponsor family members’ residence in the UK.

The Home Office also provides for exceptions to the need to pay application fees for limited and indefinite leave to remain, in a number of specific
circumstances. These exceptions ensure that the Home Office’s immigration and nationality fee structure complies with international obligations, including in relation to refugees and persons deriving rights under the ECHR and wider government policy and the protection of vulnerable children, such as those in Local Authority (LA) care.

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