LONDON: The United Kingdom has introduced tougher rules to ensure that felons cannot claim citizenship regardless of when or where the crime took place.
The Government crackdown came into effect from the last day of July, with the new rules applying to fresh applications from anyone who has received at least a 12-month prison sentence.
“Those who commit crimes shouldn’t be able to enjoy the breadth of rights citizenship brings, including holding a British passport, voting and accessing free medical care from the NHS,” said Home Secretary Suella Braverman in a statement.
“I am cracking down on abuse of the UK’s immigration and nationality system, by introducing a tougher threshold so that serious criminals cannot gain British citizenship. This is the fair and right thing to do for our country,” she added.
Suella Braverman Home Secretary
Case-by-case basis
There will be some exceptions to the new rules, which will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Such exclusion will include those who have had mitigating circumstances that support an exceptional grant.
Cases like this could include someone who committed a minor offence a long time ago but has made sufficient, positive changes that they are now considered to be of good character.
Others involved in serious crime, whether at home or abroad, will be facing the strengthened law that reaffirms its “commitment to protecting UK borders and ensuring no one with a criminal record can abuse the British immigration and nationality system,” added a statement from the Home Office.
