Denying refugees British citizenship is a shameful step backwards

Abstract

Refugees deserve the opportunity to become citizens, but the UK government’s new guidance will exclude and further marginalise them, say Angela Burnett and Kolbassia Haoussou In February 2025 the UK government introduced new guidance1 for assessing the good character requirement of citizenship applications. The updated guidance will make it likely that anyone who has arrived in the UK without permission—which includes travelling by small boat or hidden in a vehicle—will be refused British citizenship. This is despite the UK being a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, which stipulates that asylum seekers and refugees should not be penalised for irregular entry.2 Denying refugees the chance to become British citizens breaches the convention and punishes people for the way they have reached sanctuary. Preventing refugees from being recognised as British citizens is a regressive step for the UK. Imposing this policy change means the government is effectively handpicking who is …