Found: SI 2023/1103 Service Custody and Service of Relevant Sentences (Amendment) Rules 2023 SI 2023/1104 British

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals have been granted British overseas territories citizenship in each of the past five years.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office does not currently publish this data, due to ongoing developments with the underlying data systems. Historic data up to 2018 can be found in Table Cit_03 in the citizenship summary tables.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer of Lord Murray of Blidworth on 28 June (HL8499), why long delays are occurring for the delivery of BOTC (F) and BOTC (M) registration certificates to the British High Commissions located in the Caribbean region.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

We aim to decide all straight-forward applications within the six-month service standard. After a decision is made, the certificate is securely sent to the overseas post via the diplomatic bag through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Delivery times can vary depending on when the next bag is dispatched, which ranges from weekly to fortnightly depending on the destination. These bags can be tracked by the Home Office if details of dispatch date and destination are provided to FCDO.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why many applicants on the BIOT (Chagossian) citizenship registration route must wait longer than the six-month target to receive approval notifications, ceremonies and certificates at the High Commission in Port Louis; why the first people who have been approved under the Chagossian route since March 2023 are past the 12-week wait for an invitation to attend their British Overseas Territory Citizenship and British Citizenship ceremony, including where their certificates have already been sent by post; and why it is not possible to track applications.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

We aim to decide all straight-forward applications within the six-month service standard. After a decision is made, the certificate is securely sent to the overseas post via the diplomatic bag through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Delivery times can vary depending on when the next bag is dispatched, which ranges from weekly to fortnightly depending on the destination. These bags can be tracked by the Home Office if details of dispatch date and destination are provided to FCDO.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 28 June (HL8499), whether the forthcoming amendment to the British Nationality (Overseas Territories) Regulations 2007 will delay active UK-based BIOT (Chagossian) approved applicants from proceeding with their ceremonies in the UK; and if so, whether the right to waive on a case-by-case basis will be extended to the local authority registrars administering that part of the oath.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

We do not anticipate that the forthcoming amendment to the British Nationality (Overseas Territories) Regulations 2007 will delay Chagossians in the UK from proceeding to attend their citizenship ceremony in the UK. The power to waive elements of a citizenship ceremony in the UK is exercised by the Home Office, on behalf of the Secretary of State, on a case by case basis. There are no plans to amend the British Nationality Act 1981 to allow local authority registrars to waive citizenship ceremony requirements.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the reasons for delays in scheduling citizenship ceremonies and issuing certificates to British Overseas Territories citizens approved for British citizenship under the BOTC(F) process.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

For applicants in the UK, we are amending the British Nationality (Overseas Territories) Regulations 2007 so that registrars in the UK can administer the oath and pledge for British overseas territories citizenship. In the interim, Governors of overseas territories can waive the need for a citizenship ceremony on a case by case basis. We will shortly be holding citizenship ceremonies where applicants can receive both certificates.

For applications made outside the UK, Governors and FCDO staff are permitted to conduct ceremonies for both British overseas territories citizenship and British citizenship. Customers in these territories, which represent the majority of cases, are unaffected.

Found: British Nationality (British Overseas Territories) (Amendment) Regulations 2023

Found: to obtain British citizenship.160 Clauses 32, 33 and 34 would close off routes to other forms of British

Found: More details can be found on the gov.uk website https://www.gov.uk/types-of-british-nationality/british-overseas-territories-citizen

Found: More details can be found on the gov.uk website https://www.gov.uk/types-of-british-nationality/british-overseas-territories-citizen

Found: More details can be found on the gov.uk website https://www.gov.uk/types-of-british-nationality/british-overseas-territories-citizen

Found: More details can be found on the gov.uk website https://www.gov.uk/types-of-british-nationality/british-overseas-territories-citizen

Found: stay in the UK, including those who are settled For further information please see: Types of British

Found: citizenship if you have a British parent (accessed July 2023) 21 UK Visas and Immigration, Types of British

Found: citizenship if you have a British parent (accessed July 2023) 21 UK Visas and Immigration, Types of British