London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

British nationality law reform aims to remove Windrush anomalies

British nationality law reform aims to remove Windrush anomalies

Proposed changes to immigration system welcomed by some of the victims of ‘outdated’ rules

British nationality laws are to be reformed to remove a number of anomalies that have recently led to people from the Windrush generation being refused citizenship – despite the Home Office admitting that its own errors led to them being ruled ineligible.

The Guardian has highlighted the cases of several people who have been refused British citizenship because they have been out of the country for too long, even though they were exiled from the UK as a result of Home Office mistakes.

Fixes to the law will be introduced as part of wider changes to the immigration system and will give the home secretary discretion to overrule residence requirements, which have made it impossible for officials to grant citizenship to people who were wrongly deported or prevented from returning home to the UK because of the Home Office’s Windrush scandal.

A source said Priti Patel, the home secretary, had been frustrated that the rules meant officials were unable to grant British citizenship to people such as Trevor Donald, who was wrongly prevented from returning to the UK after travelling to Jamaica for his mother’s funeral in 2010.

At that point he had been in Britain for 43 years, having arrived as an 11-year-old to live in Birmingham, legally, in 1967. He was stuck in Jamaica, destitute, for nine years before officials recognised that they had made a mistake in preventing him from returning, and flew him back to the UK. However, he was subsequently refused citizenship because of the length of time he had been out of the country; nationality law requires people to have been in the UK five years before applying.

The reforms, which will be introduced as part of changes to immigration legislation, will add flexibility into the system, so that the Home Office can waive residence requirements in exceptional cases, the source said.

Donald, 65, welcomed the proposed changes. “It would be good news. They should make amends for their wrongs,” he said. Publicity about his case earlier this month caused embarrassment for the department, revealing that three years after the government first apologised for the Windrush scandal, ministers were still failing to address difficulties faced by some of those affected.

Vernon Vanriel, 66, who was also caught out by the same catch-22 situation, said he was relieved at the announcement. The former boxer was similarly refused British citizenship due to his prolonged absence from the UK – despite an admission from the Home Office that it was the department’s fault that he was ineligible because officials had wrongly prevented him from returning home after a trip to Jamaica (despite having lived in London for 43 years). He said he had been very hurt by the decision not to grant citizenship.

Trevor Donald, who was refused citizenship, welcomed the changes: ‘It would be good news. They should make amends for their wrongs.’


“What happened was totally unjust. They said they wanted to right the wrongs done to us, but the refusal of citizenship just added insult to injury. It was grossly unfair that we were penalised because we were were not in the country through no fault of our own,” he said.

A Home Office source said: “British nationality law has not changed significantly since 1983. It is outdated, convoluted and littered with anomalies which impact hundreds of people each year. These new reforms will bring about lasting change to our entire immigration system, ensuring it is fair and just.”

It is also understood the reforms will overhaul laws that prevent a child acquiring their father’s citizenship if their mother was married to someone else and will introduce a new process for children of British overseas territories citizens to acquire citizenship more easily.

Donald’s lawyer, Connie Sozi of Deighton Pierce Glynn, who has been helping him with his citizenship application, said: “If it is correct that the government will be revising the British Nationality Act 1981 to address the injustice faced by my client and many like him, that is welcome news.

“Nonetheless, it matters that his voice, when seeking only that which he was entitled, was not heard. The government repeatedly refused to give credence to what he said or experienced. That leaves an indelible mark on this group of mainly black migrants who consider the UK their home.”

The immigration lawyer Colin Yeo said these were “welcome but relatively minor tweaks” and suggested that the government’s reforms should also look at the very high costs of applying for citizenship.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
×