UK to refuse citizenship to refugees who have ‘made a dangerous journey’

Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor

Feb. 11, 2025, 7:09 p.m.

Home Office accused of shutting out thousands, as new guidance says those applicants will ‘normally be refused’

The Home Office has been accused of quietly blocking thousands of refugees from applying for citizenship if they arrived in the UK by small boats or hidden in vehicles.

Guidance for staff assessing people who have applied for naturalisation says that, since Monday, applicants who have “made a dangerous journey will normally be refused citizenship”.