Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to provide free legal advice to Commonwealth citizens who have lived in the UK since before 1971 and who now may face deportation because of a lack of documentation.

There will be no charge to obtain new documents or a residence permit. The simple process and the dedicated team assigned to help resolve individual cases should mean that individuals will not need to seek legal advice.

Those who arrived in the UK before 1 January 1973 are protected by virtue of their status provided by the 1971 Immigration Act. They will not be liable for deportation and will be able to regularise their stay.