Migrants and asylum seekers who arrive in Britain illegally, mainly by crossing the English Channel by boat, will not be granted British citizenship "in principle", according to new guidelines from the British government.
According to the guidelines, published on Monday and addressed to the services responsible for examining citizenship applications, the applications of immigrants who have entered Britain illegally will generally be rejected regardless of how long they have been in the country.
However, requests for citizenship will continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The British Home Office clarified today that there were already "rules that prevented those who had entered (the country) illegally from gaining citizenship."
"This directive strengthens existing measures to make it clear that anyone who enters Britain illegally, particularly by boat, risks having their application for British citizenship rejected," a ministry spokesman said.
The government of Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer is thus adopting part of the policy of his Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak.
Labour is under pressure on the issue of immigration, in the face of the polls showing the rise of Nigel Farage's anti-immigration Reform UK party, which surprised the public in the July general election by winning five seats in parliament.
However, the government's tightening of immigration policy has been criticised by Labour members. "If we grant refugee status to someone, it is not fair to then deny them the opportunity to become a British citizen," Stella Chrissy commented on X.
For its part, the non-governmental organization Free Movement, which deals with immigration policy and asylum, assessed that these changes may "prevent a large number of refugees from obtaining (British) citizenship" and that they "harm integration."
Moreover, this week British MPs have begun examining a bill against irregular immigration, which is based on elements of anti-terrorism legislation and aims to tackle smuggling networks.
The Starmer government has abandoned the Conservatives' controversial plan to deport irregular migrants to Rwanda, but has pledged to reduce immigration - legal and illegal.
In 2024, approximately 36.810 migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats and arrived in Britain, a 25% increase compared to 2023, according to the British Home Office.
Source: protothema.gr
