Registration under NEW LEGISLATION
Through recent adjustments to nationality law, new avenues are available 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Examples of our successful cases:
a) Subject was born on 1966 in Pretoria, South Africa. Subject’s both parents were born in South Africa and Subject maternal grandmother was born in Scotland.
b) Subject was born on 1975 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Subject’s father was born in South Africa and mother was born in Southern Rhodeisa. Subject’s paternal grandmother was born in England. Application was succesful without any issues.
c) Subject was born on 1983 in the USA. Subject’s both parents were born in the USA and both maternal grandparents were born in the UK.
d) Subject was born on 1984 in South Africa. Subject’s both parents were born in South Africa and maternal grandfather was born in the UK.
Why Solution Visas?
Should you ask us to prepare your application, your entire case will be handled personally by our Immigration and Nationality adviser
We carefully check if you qualify under the 4L law for British citizenship to ensure you do not lose the non-refundable Home Office fee
We will help you gather the supporting evidence required for submission either in country or out of country application
We carefully prepare your application along with the letter of representation demonstrating that your application fulfills the criteria
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.
