Section 4L | New route to acquire British citizenship | ARD Application

Through recent adjustments to nationality law, the United Kingdom is providing new avenues to those who may not have previously qualified for British citizenship.

Previously, the United Kingdom Government signed a treaty with the United Nations that guaranteed equal rights for women and to regard men and women equally. The Home Office has considered this law pertaining to marriage as still being from a man to a woman, and not vice versa. Therefore, the position of the British government did not adequately resolve gender discrimination within citizenship applications. In an effort to rectify numerous historical injustices, the United Kingdom has passed progressive legislation to incorporate this principle of gender equality into its nationality law. The British Nationality and Borders Act 2021, which received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022, allows you to have a valid claim for British citizenship if you can demonstrate that your parents or ancestors would have received British citizenship but for gender discrimination.

The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 introduced section 4L of the British Nationality Act of 1981. It is a registration route for adults who would have been British citizens or would have been able to become British citizens if not for one of three statutory reasons. In the Secretary of State’s opinion, they would have been, or would have been able to become, a British citizen but for at least one of:

1. Historical legislative unfairness

For example, in the past, if your parents were not married at the time of your birth, you could not claim British citizenship through your father. In addition, if your ancestors who were born in the United Kingdom were women, you were not eligible to become a British citizen.

2. An act or omission of a public authority

Errors made by government bodies, where applicants can identify the way(s) in which the act or omission of a public authority has hindered their ability to apply for citizenship in the UK. A local authority failing to apply to register a child in their care as British when they were eligible to do so is one example. Another is where an applicant was issued a British passport in error for a number of years, only for the error to be discovered after they had lost their right to register as a British citizen.

3. Exceptional circumstances relating to that person

This would be evaluated case to case.

You may have a claim if any of the following conditions apply:

• You have a UK-born maternal grandparent, and your relevant parent spent at least three years in the United Kingdom prior to your birth.
• You were born before 1 January 1988 in a country defined as a “foreign country” (which included South Africa after 30 May 1962) and your grandmother was born in the United Kingdom.
• You were born between 1 January 1949 and 31 December 1982 and have a grandparent who was born in the United Kingdom (but not a paternal grandfather).

These are just a few of the many situations in which you may qualify for British citizenship under the new 4L law. Please fill in the online assessment or get in contact with us if:

• You are 18 and above
• You have a parent or a grandparent that was born in a former British territory
• You were adopted

Why Solution Visas?

Should you ask us to prepare your application, your entire case will be handled personally by our Immigration and Nationality adviser.

To check your eligibility call us on Tel: 020 7859 4527 | Whatsapp +44 7894 54 2613 | info@solutionvisas.com alternatively, fill out our Free initial assessment form and we will get in touch with you on how to apply for British citizenship.