Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 46131 on Armed Forces: Recruitment, how the annual Basic Training Start limit for Commonwealth citizens is determined for each service.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) decides which nationalities we recruit and any limits on numbers such as the 1,350 per annum Basic Training Start limit for Commonwealth citizens across the Armed Forces which was introduced on 5 November 2018. Each single Service determined the upper limit of Commonwealth citizens it wished to recruit per annum, in line with the guiding principle of supporting workforce shortages across the full range of vacancies in the Armed Forces, through building on the historical links with the Commonwealth and their tradition of service. The MOD works closely with the Home Office on all matters related to immigration.