Jus soli, fees & immigration system. Jus Soli in the UK needs changing.
The United Kingdom is not like the United States or Canada when the child is born in either of two countries given it doesn’t matter if parent is US citizen/Canadian citizen or non US citizen/Canadian citizen who are mostly foreign nationals from other countries they (parents) originally are from. Child is automatically either American or Canadian = Birthright citizenship. Basically, automatic citizenship.
Here is an piece of British Nationality Act 1981 regarding Jus Soli.
“Since 1 January 1983, at least one parent must be a British citizen or be legally "settled" in the country or upon the 10th birthday of the child regardless of their parent’s citizenship status”.
& yet in the years & even recently I read articles that those people who are born in the UK, doesn’t automatically get British citizenship (& holding the passport) because of different circumstances including being stateless. There are many factors to it. It is not fair on anyone who is British born who can’t hold the UK passport (not being eligible for UK citizenship) and being treated differently as if the person is from different Foreign country that is not his/her home country. Other than the UK.
Sources:
Child citizenship fees in my point of view, are very expensive and exploitive. I recently watched the BBC Panorama documentary about it. jcwi.org.uk
It really does leave children and teenagers in limbo especially if they happened to be non white with ethnic minority background. london.gov.uk london.gov.uk
I know that for sure because I didn’t have the UK passport until I was 13 years old. It was because of that I held one passport only. South African passport. My mother who is originally from South Africa who have been living in the UK since the early 90s (over 30 years in 1990) had to waited for many years until she become British citizen in 2008 & me (given I was born in the UK. Same with my disabled brother who also was born here in the UK). She had to get through with paperwork, fees & bureaucracy & all that (same with my father). Despite that my parents are originally from Africa, at the time when I was born, they were legal residents (before becoming citizens of the UK as my dad have been living in the UK since mid 80s). So with that hard work for parents who are originally from different parts of the world (including Commonwealth countries) & gave birth to their children in the UK, it’s suddenly happened on children & teenagers who are being British born & yet being treated differently by the Home Office. Systemically being badly treated by the Home Office. With that all ridiculous child’s citizenship fee. Just to target children who have grow up in the UK or came to the UK when they were very young.
The government have not really learned its lesson since the 2018 Windrush scandal. I previously talked about it on my previous blog post. Detailing why the immigration system in the UK is ungrateful. mrlimitless95.blogspot.com
Lastly, the planned deportation of Ace Ruele (British. Born to Jamaican mother in the UK. An actor) on the basis that he committed a crime. t.co
Come on man!!! Seriously, what is the matter with the Home Office? Deporting your own citizen (who happened to be black) that he had served his time in prison & have never reoffend since being out of prison (as he learned his lesson) by making him stateless (who doesn’t have UK passport). Why deport the guy who was born here in the UK? It really makes zero sense. Even if he committed a crime in the past, doesn’t excuse the fact that Mr Ruele was born here in the UK. You cannot make the person to be stateless even that the UK is not like Canada or the US in terms of birthright citizenship & that jus soli is restricted on the UK.
I do not really know what is wrong with the government. I do know what is wrong for certain with the immigration system. Child citizenship fee (expensive and exploitative) & depriving others (who are British born citizens but aren’t UK citizens by paper & on the system) from becoming the citizen of the country (that he/she know). What kind of country are we people? Denying others who are British born & grow up in the country due to various circumstances. Yet we spent years, talking about Brexit & Immigration non stop. If the government (including Prime Minister Boris Johnson & Home Secretary Priti Patel) & Home Office doesn’t get their act together to solve the problems of child citizenship fees & other thing relating to immigration & citizenship, it would be just a matter of time before we have another scandal. Windrush style scandal. I hope and pray there should not be the case. So on that note, Jus soli must be changed in the UK. If the UK was like the United States & Canada as i mentioned in the first paragraph, there wouldn’t be many recorded cases of person being stateless & not being entitled to British citizenship. It really has to stop (children citizenship fee & good character test) just to deprive those are being born in the UK, wouldn’t be able to get one at all due to different circumstances. Jus Soli in the UK needs changing.
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