Children priced out of citizenship

Children's rights are not for sale

Thousands of children who have every right to British citizenship are charged exorbitant fees to register as British citizens. This affects children who were born in the UK, or who were brought here at a young age, and have lived in the UK ever since.

The Home Office currently charges £1,012 for registration, much more than the cost of processing which is £372. The cost applies to each child, including children living in poverty and those in local authority care, and regardless of the number of children in a family.

Once children turn 18 they may lose the right to register. However, many children in this situation are not aware of this, or may assume that they are already British citizens. When they discover that they need to register their citizenship, there is little time left to raise the huge sum needed. If they cannot afford to register, they are at risk of being detained and removed from the UK once they reach adulthood.

‘I didn’t even know I was not British until my mother had to explain to me why I couldn’t go on the same school trips as my class mates.’
Daniel, 15

Send an appeal letter

Urge the Home Secretary to change laws around child citizenship.

Write to:

Children’s Human Rights Network
c/o Community Organising Team
Amnesty International UK
The Human Rights Action Centre
17-25 New Inn Yard
London EC2A 3EA

Salutation: Dear Home Secretary

Message:

1. The Home Office should never profit from children claiming their rights to citizenship
2. No child should be denied citizenship because they cannot afford the fee.