#Citizenship

Jul 29, 2020
2 min

Henry Smith MP asks Home Secretary for reform to citizenship law for Chagossians

Conservative MP for Crawley Henry Smith has spoken in Parliament to challenge Home Secretary Priti Patel to reform citizenship law to stop young Chagossians facing excessive immigration costs and even deportation from the UK. Mr Smith was speaking after a statement on the 'Windrush' report. In the previous Parliament, Mr Smith proposed a Private Members Bill which would have given a path to British citizenship for all descendants of people born on the Chagos Islands. The bill

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Jul 5, 2019
2 min

Chagossian crowdfunding to fight immediate deportation threat

Christopher's family are fundraising for a visa application fee which would stop his deportation and, if succesful, give him indefinite leave to remain in the UK. It's urgent this process starts as soon as possible - you can donate here. A 22-year old Chagossian Christopher - not his real name - was detained by immigration officials in the UK on Wednesday evening and is now threatened with deportation to Mauritius. His family are leading a crowdfunding campaign to halt deport

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Telegraph article brands Chagossians' immigration struggles "new Windrush"

Peri Batliwala

May 7, 2019
2 min

Telegraph article brands Chagossians' immigration struggles "new Windrush"

A substantial and well-illustrated feature in The Telegraph by Joe Wallen on 1st March 2019 highlighted the long-running story of unfair immigration policies towards Chagossians, comparing their plight to the Windrush generation of West Indian immigrants whose shoddy treatment has caused a major scandal for Theresa May’s government. The full article can be read here It focuses in particular on third generation Chagossian youngsters who – under present immigration law – are no

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Foreign Affairs Committee calls for change in nationality law that could help Chagossians

Stefan

Apr 7, 2019
2 min

Foreign Affairs Committee calls for change in nationality law that could help Chagossians

Foreign Affairs Committee latest report Right now Chagossians in the UK - particularly the grandchildren of those born on the Chagos Islands - often face long, expensive legal battles to win the right to stay in the UK, even if they've lived and grown up in the country for many years. This is because the right to UK citizenship only passes down one generation. So the children of those who were deported have the right to British Overseas Territory citizenship - and so a cheape

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Apr 6, 2019
1 min

New petition to end Chagossian deportations from the UK

The campaign for fair citizenship rights for Chagossians got a boost this month as a petition started by Chagossian Jeanette Valentin attracted more than 2,000 signatures on 38 Degrees. Please sign today. Jeanette's daughters are being threatened with deportation to the Seychelles despite living in the UK for several years and completing their education in Milton Keynes after coming here legally with their mother, who is a British citizen. Jeanette is entitled to British citi

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Liberal Democrats back Chagos Citizenship Bill

Peri Batliwala and Stefan Donnelly

Nov 5, 2018
2 min

Liberal Democrats back Chagos Citizenship Bill

A recent statement from Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP has highlighted the ongoing failure of the British Government to effectively tackle the inequity and suffering caused by arbitrary and unfair British citizenship rules. In an official press release, she backed Henry Smith Chagos Citizenship Bill, which would provide a path to citizenship for descendants of those born on the Chagos Islands. Referring to the lesson of the Windrush scandal

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In Parliament: MPs standing up for Chagossian rights in Parliament this month

Stefan

Oct 28, 2018
3 min

In Parliament: MPs standing up for Chagossian rights in Parliament this month

In the last month MPs have asked a series of questions related to the Chagossian fight for justice. Representatives from the Conservative, Labour and Scottish National parties have spoken out in favour of Chagossians’ interests, emphasising the cross-party support for the community. Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry asked the Foreign Secretary in a Written Parliamentary Question “what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the citizenship stat

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Jul 3, 2018
1 min

Home Affairs Committee urge Ministers to reform citizenship law for Chagos Islanders

In their report published today, the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee describes Chagossians as being "unfairly affected by UK immigration policies" and points out that, "perversely, had Chagossians remained on the Chagos Islands and not been forced to reside elsewhere, such as in the UK, they would all be entitled to register as British citizens today." The report, entitled Windrush Children, recommends the Government, "Support Henry Smith MP’s Private Member’s

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Apr 28, 2018
2 min

Chagossians demand fair Citizenship settlement following Windrush

In the last few weeks, UK headlines have been dominated by the story of the Windrush generation. These were people who came to the UK legally many years ago, but now through no fault of their own now face being denied the right to work, access to pensions, health services and, in some cases, facing deportation. Although a shock for most people, for many Chagossian families in the UK it's all very familiar. A legal change in the early 2000s allowed Chagossians born on the isla

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Feb 25, 2018
2 min

Chagos Citizenship raised again in Parliament

Ahead of the planned Second Reading of Henry Smith's Chagossian Citizenship Bill on 16 March, the issue of Chagossian citizenship has been raised again by Democratic Unionist Party Human Rights Spokesperson Jim Shannon. Mr Smith's Bill, if successful, would allow those descended from people born on the Chagos Islands to claim British Overseas Territory Citizenship. This in turn makes it easier, simpler and much cheaper to access UK citizenship. It would be an equivalent stat

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Henry Smith's Chagos Citizenship Bill passes First Reading

Karen

Jan 17, 2018
4 min

Henry Smith's Chagos Citizenship Bill passes First Reading

Watch Henry Smith MP's speech in full here: 12.31 http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/98024bf1-c1bb-46ba-a26a-701142587345 Or read it here in Hansard: https://goo.gl/uWhdYx Today, Henry Smith passed a motion in parliament which, if passed, will allow descendants of native Chagossians to receive British Overseas Territory Citizenship (BOTC) status. Prior to this, the overly complex and unfair nationality law made it difficult for second and later generations born in exile

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Chagossian Citizenship Bill to be heard in Parliament

Tom

Dec 23, 2017
2 min

Chagossian Citizenship Bill to be heard in Parliament

On 16 January, Henry Smith MP will present a Bill to Parliament which, if successful, would allow descendants from people born on the Chagos Islands to register as a British Overseas Territory Citizen - a status all Chagossians would have today if they had been born on the islands. Just like those born on other British Overseas Territories like the Falkland Islands, Bermuda or Gibraltar. Can you ask your MP to back this bill? Use our template letter (Word document download) t

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Dec 14, 2017
2 min

Chagos Islands All-Party Parliamentary Group: Coordinator's Summary

Thanks are due as ever to group coordinator David Snoxell for the following summary of the latest meeting of the All-Party Group on the Chagos Islands. Members took note of the answer to Patrick Grady's PQ on 23 October. The accuracy of the Answer was questioned by the Coordinator. They also noted the intervention by Peter Grant MP in the budget debate of 27 November in which he described the deportation of the Chagossians as ethnic cleansing and abduction and asked what acco

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