Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether individuals who have been granted indefinite leave to remain are obliged to apply for British citizenship; if so, why; and if not, what information such individuals are given by the UK Border Agency in this regard upon arrival in the UK.

Individuals who are settled in the UK are not obliged to apply to naturalise as British citizens. The Government believes that citizenship is a personal choice, and is a privilege and not a right, and it would not be appropriate to compel all those who settle in the UK to become British.

Entrants to the UK will normally need to remain in the UK for a period of at least five years before being eligible to settle in the UK and so it would be premature to provide them with information on citizenship at the point of their arrival. Where someone wishes to naturalise they can find relevant information on the GOV.uk website.