ChildrenNotProfit calls on the government to waive citizenship fees for children and aims to increase public awareness of the extortionate Home Office citizenship fees and the severe implications of these on children’s lives.
For many children who grow up in the UK, the pathway to citizenship can take several years and fees have spiralled out of control. Tens of thousands of families are facing unaffordable costs, which is why IOHR is asking the government to end the practice of profiteering from citizenship applications and waive the cost of citizenship for all children.
What are we calling for?
The International Observatory of Human Rights is calling on the UK government to waive the fee charged to children applying for UK citizenship. We want to ensure no child is priced out of a status our laws recognise they have the right to possess.
Who is affected?
Any and all children that have the right to become a UK citizen. This includes stateless and vulnerable children who have lived in the country for over five years and have the most to lose from not gaining citizenship.
How are they affected
Parents:
- Are forced into debt
- Are overworked
- Are skipping Meals
Children:
- Are made to feel like outsiders
- Face a protection gap between them and the state
Waive the registration fee for children to become British citizens
A child eligible for British citizenship is charged £1,012 to apply, even though it only costs the UK government £372 to process. These charges are forcing parents into debt because without citizenship, their children’s access to education, travel and work is greatly restricted.
The UK government is holding children to ransom for the sake of £640 profit. No child should be deterred from their right to British citizenship simply because of the cost.
Without citizenship they lose their entitlement to a student loan, are subject to foreign student university fees and are denied the ability to travel and work freely in later life.
Call on the government to end the practice of profiteering from citizenship applications and waive the cost of citizenship for all children.