A British passport? How much longer?
A British passport? How much longer?
Many South Africans living in the UK only plan to stay here for five
years, get a British passport, and then go home to sunny skies. Up to
now - give or take a few administrative blunders - it took about five
years to get one's hand on the revered little red book.
This
process could now be extended to eight years if the proposed Borders,
Citizenship and Immigration Bill that is currently being dragged
through Westminster is enacted into law.
Although the act
will still have to go through many phases, judged by the eagerness of
border and immigration minister Phil Woolas, the early indications are
that the Bill will pass. The net effect is that UK's citizenship laws
will get much tougher. Some of the new rules involve that the Home
Office wants to introduce probationary citizenship. After five years
working in the UK, or two if you are on a further leave to remain visa
as a partner - you'll then have to do your Knowledge of Life in the UK
test, prove you're still in a job or with your partner, and then only
be granted ‘further temporary leave'.
After a minimum of one
year and maximum of five on probationary citizenship you can then apply
for citizenship. How long you're placed in this category depends on
whether you engage in "active citizenship" (most likely through doing
volunteer work). You will get disqualified if you commit a crime and
earn the shortest possible time on probation if you do volunteer work.
The average time envisaged is three years, which pushes up the time to
earn a UK passport to eight years.
Some immigration
specialists advise that now is the best time to apply for citizenship
if you do qualify already."Anybody who might be eligible, go ahead and
make an application now, while the law is clear, rather than leave it
to later," says Nilmini Roelens, the principal solicitor of The
Wimbledon Effect visa specialists. "The fees will probably go up and
because things are getting that much tighter and harder, for example
with ‘probationary citizenship', get it out of the way now."
The
UK Border Agency say the new Act is an effort to control UK immigration
and the massive influx of foreign workers flooding the market. The
immigration agency 1st Contact says this will have a significant impact
on migrants who have entered the UK on temporary visas. They will now
be forced to remain in the UK for up to eight years to attain full
citizenship rights.
The Bill is set to enforce a set of
criteria for migrants and their ability and willingness to do community
work. Woolas said: "We are clear that newcomers should speak English,
work hard, and earn the right to stay here - and only get British
citizenship once they have proved their commitment to the country.
"Migration
only works if it brings benefits, and these measures will ensure that
only those migrants that make a positive impact on their local
community will be able to stay in the UK."
On the upside, the
new system will ensure a firm and fair immigration system by
introducing a remedy to fix the current situation whereby a father
could pass on his British nationality to a child born abroad before
1961 while a mother could not. It is proposed that children born abroad
before 1961 to a British born mother will be able to acquire British
citizenship as of right under the new Bill. If this is passed, it will
remedy the current situation, which is unfair for children born abroad
before the 7th February 1961.
SA Timesonline will keep updating readers on the implementation of the Act.