End the Practice of Charging Children for British Citizenship – 22 May 2018 

This week I called on the Government to end the practice of charging children for British citizenship. I have signed an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to end the practice of charging a fee to children for registering for British citizenship. 6 years ago it was estimated that there were 120,000 undocumented children in the UK. Tens of thousands of them will have been born in the UK and will therefore automatically be entitled to British citizenship. But, they cannot enforce their rights and obtain citizenship documentation because the government is charging extortionate fees of over £1,000 for each child registration. That is a sum that very few families can afford. The government is actually making a profit on the fees. 

The recent Windrush scandal illustrates the way the government treats people without the correct documentation. To put children in this situation is unforgiveable.