Did you know an individual born to EEA parents in the UK between 1 January 1983 and 1 October 2000 automatically gained British nationality? This policy has been in effect for a long time. However, the Home Office suspended it earlier this year after identifying certain legal issues with the automatic acquisition of British citizenship. Fortunately, the authorities were able to resolve those problems, restoring a popular pathway to the automatic acquisition of British citizenship.
Automatic British Citizenship
Interestingly, a person used to automatically become a British citizen until March 2023 by fulfilling the following factors.
– Being born in the UK on a date between 1 January 1983 and 1 October 2000.
– At least one parent had citizenship of a country included in the EU or EEA at the time.
– That parent had free movement rights at the time while living in the UK.
In addition to this, the parents of the individual trying to obtain automatic British citizenship should be married at the time of their child’s birth.
A person can continue applying for a British passport if they meet these conditions. This is what the Home Office called automatic acquisition. This policy is widely known as the ultimate route to British nationality for thousands of aspirants.
The Resolution
New legislation inspired the Home Office to reverse its position after Roehrig.
The British Nationality (Regularisation of Past Practice) Act 2023 became effective on 30 June 2023. It confirms that EEA nationals who lived in the UK between 1 January 1983 and 1 October 2000 will be managed as settled for nationality reasons. As a result, any of their children who are born in the UK will be British. So, the good news is that automatic acquisition is once again available to eligible candidates.
Needless to say, this is exciting news for people who could be eligible under this route, including those who have already acquired British nationality by automatic acquisition.
People applying for a British passport for the first time under the automatic acquisition route are advised to pay attention to the Home Office requirements for supporting documents and more.
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