Immigration
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes made to her Department's guidance entitled Nationality: good character requirement, published on 10 February 2025, on (a) refugees already granted indefinite leave to remain and (b) the integration of people with refugee status.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
The previous government's Illegal Migration Act introduced a statutory ban on granting citizenship to anyone who has arrived in the country through irregular routes, a measure that proved completely unworkable, contained minimal discretion to recognise exceptional circumstances, and was never properly implemented. That measure is being repealed, and replaced with clearer rules in the caseworker guidance, including provision to exercise discretion where appropriate.
For many generations refugees who have arrived on resettlement and who have settled in the UK have been able to apply for British citizenship if they meet the conditions, and that continues to be the case. The UK must always do its bit to support those fleeing persecution. But we are also clear that we must also do all we can to prevent people making dangerous small boat crossings, risking their lives in the arms of criminal gangs.
This government is absolutely committed to fostering and supporting integration; that will be an important area of focus for the White Paper currently under development.
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