Migrants arriving illegally in the UK in small boats or stowed away in lorries will be refused British citizenship, new Home Office guidance states.
The “Good Character” guidance for immigration staff has been changed to say people who have arrived in the UK illegally “having made a dangerous journey… will normally be refused citizenship” from 10 February, regardless of when they arrived.
It says a dangerous journey includes “but is not limited to, travelling by small boat or concealed in a vehicle or other conveyance”.
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The guidance clarifies this does not include arriving as a passenger on a commercial airline.
Previously, refugees who arrived by irregular routes had to wait 10 years before being considered for citizenship.
The Home Office said the change “further strengthens” measures to make it clear anyone entering the UK illegally will be refused British citizenship.
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People arriving in small boats have risen by almost a third since Labour took office, with nearly 25,000 people arriving between 4 July 2024 and 6 February 2025 – 28% higher than the same dates a year before.
It is also the second highest figure since records began in 2018.
Some Labour MPs and the Refugee Council have condemned the latest guidance as they say it will mean refugees can live in the UK but will not be allowed to have a place in society.
Labour MP Stella Creasy said on X the guidance “should be changed asap”.
“If we give someone refugee status, it can’t be right to then refuse them route to become a British citizen,” she wrote.
“To say they can have a home in our country, but never a place in our society and be forever second class.”
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The Refugee Council said the change “flies in the face of reason” and said the British public want refugees in the UK “to integrate and contribute to their new communities, so it makes no sense for the government to erect more barriers”.
“We urge ministers to urgently reconsider,” Enver Solomon, CEO of the NGO said.
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A Home Office spokesperson said: “There are already rules that can prevent those arriving illegally from gaining citizenship.
“This policy guidance further strengthens measures to make it clear that anyone who enters the UK illegally, including small boat arrivals, faces having a British citizenship application refused.”
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Labour’s manifesto promised to “smash the gangs”, with the government creating a Border Security Command and introducing new powers for authorities to prevent people smugglers from travelling, stop mobile phone use and shut down bank accounts.
On Monday, the second reading of the government’s Border, Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill was passed with an overwhelming majority.
The bill officially scraps the Conservatives’ plan to send illegal immigrants to Rwanda and provides the legal backing to boost police powers against people smugglers.
The Conservatives have not yet responded to the new guidance but leader Kemi Badenoch last week said she would toughen up citizenship rules to make it more difficult for new immigrants to be able to permanently settle in the UK.
