Tag: citizenship

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Braverman introduces tougher citizenship rules

London, Sept 07 (ANI): Indian-origin barrister Suella Braverman appointed UK's new Home Secretary, in London on Wednesday. (ANI Photo/ANI pic service)

This UK government said it re-affirms the government’s commitment to protecting UK borders and ensuring no one with a criminal record can abuse the British immigration and nationality system…reports Asian Lite News

Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Monday said that she is introducing a “tougher threshold” to stop “serious criminals” from gaining British citizenship.

Taking to Twitter, the Indian-origin minister said, “British citizenship is a privilege – those who commit a crime or do not show respect for our freedoms and rights should not be entitled to receive it. From today I am introducing a tougher threshold so that serious criminals cannot claim citizenship here.” This new law will change the previous rules where some criminals could be granted British citizenship even after a custodial sentence of at least 12 months but less than 4 years unless a period of 15 years has passed since the end of the sentence, regardless of the type of crime or where it was committed.

This UK government said it re-affirms the government’s commitment to protecting UK borders and ensuring no one with a criminal record can abuse the British immigration and nationality system.

The updated rules are stricter and more specific on so-called “good character” requirements, which are a key condition to be granted British citizenship, and look at whether an individual has observed UK law as well as shown respect for the rights and freedoms of British citizens. The requirements include factors such as criminal convictions, immigration offending and serious behaviour like war crimes, terrorism or genocide, according to the statement released by the UK government.

The changes remove the previous rules where some criminals could be granted British citizenship after a prescribed number of years had passed since the end of their sentence – regardless of the type of crime or where it was committed.

There will be some exceptions to the new rules, which will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, for example, if someone has mitigating circumstances that support an exceptional grant. Cases like this could include someone who committed a minor offence a long time ago but has made sufficient, positive changes that they are now considered to be of good character, the statement read. (ANI)

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Categories
-Top News UK News

Shamima loses appeal over loss of British citizenship

Shamima Begum. (Photo: twitter@ShamimaBegums)

In 2015, Begum — who is now 23 years old — traveled to Syria when she was 15, along with two other girls from London, to marry Daesh fighters…reports Asian Lite News

Shamima Begum, who left Britain as a teenager to join Daesh, lost her appeal against the British government’s decision to remove her citizenship.

Begum and two other east London schoolgirls left Britain for Syria in early 2015 to join the IS. They married jihadi fighters and lived under Daesh rule.

She was stripped of her British citizenship on national security grounds in 2019, shortly after she was found in a displacement camp in Syria. Begum, now 23, is living in a refugee camp controlled by armed guards in northern Syria.

Begum’s lawyers challenged the citizenship removal at a hearing in London in November, when they argued that Britain’s Home Office did not formally assess whether she was a victim of trafficking before putting her in “exile for life”.

The Special Immigration Appeals Commission, a specialist tribunal that deals with appeals against the British government’s decisions over refusing or removing British citizenship, dismissed Begum’s appeal on Wednesday.

Announcing the tribunal’s decision, Judge Robert Jay said there was a “credible suspicion” that Begum was trafficked to Syria for sexual exploitation as a child and that there were “arguable breaches of duty” by state bodies that failed to stop her from leaving Britain, but these factors are insufficient for her appeal to succeed.

In 2015, Begum — who is now 23 years old — traveled to Syria when she was 15, along with two other girls from London, to marry Daesh fighters.

Thousands of fighters from all over the world, swelled the terror group’s ranks, with many renouncing their nationalities and opting to remain in the self-styled caliphate the terror group established in the territory it controlled at the time.

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However, when Daesh was defeated in 2019, and thousands of its fighters and families were captured, the challenge of what to do with them emerged. Many, like Begum, remain in camps in northern Syria.

In the same year, then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid, decided to revoke her citizenship after she was found in the Al Hol detention camp in Syria. Begum had given birth to three children, all of whom died.

Begum and others in her position, have been the source of debate as to what to do with people of various nationalities who joined the terror group when it was capturing vast swathes of territory in northern Syria and Iraq.

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READ MORE-‘Revocation of British Citizenship: Shamima Begum’

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-Top News India News

Rising number of Indians renouncing citizenship, 2.25 lakh in 2022

Passport fair will be held in 7 cities of the state including the capital Dehradun on 3rd December.

The written answer also included a list of 135 countries whose citizenship was acquired by Indians…reports Asian Lite News

A total of 225,620 Indians renounced their citizenship in 2022, the highest in the past 12 years, and more than 1.66 million people have given up their nationality since 2011, according to figures provided by the government in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The figures were given by external affairs minister S Jaishankar in a written reply to a question from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lawmaker Narain Dass Gupta, who sought the number of Indians who relinquished their citizenship during the last three years.

For the period from 2011 to 2019, the annual figure ranged between 120,000 and 144,000, before falling to 85,256 in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic broke out and led most countries to restrict the movement of people.

In 2021, the figure almost doubled to 163,370, and continued to rise to 225,620 in 2022, according to the written reply.

Citing information available with the external affairs ministry, Jaishankar said 122,819 Indians renounced their citizenship in 2011, 120,923 in 2012, 131,405 in 2013, 129,328 in 2014, 131,489 in 2015, 141,603 in 2016, 133,049 in 2017, 134,561 in 2018, 144,017 in 2019, 85,256 in 2020, 163,370 in 2021 and 225,620 in 2022.

The written answer also included a list of 135 countries whose citizenship was acquired by Indians.

The list, however, didn’t give specific numbers for each country or specify the period during which these nations granted citizenship to Indians.

In reply to a specific query from Gupta, Jaishankar said five Indian nationals obtained citizenship of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the past three years.

In a written response to a separate question from Gupta, minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan said specific data on the number of businessmen and professionals who have settled abroad during the past four years is not available.

“There are no restrictions on Indian nationals regarding travelling to foreign countries for tourism or employment. Some of them settle down in their country of employment and acquire foreign nationality for personal reasons,” the reply said.

Muraleedharan said the government has brought about a “transformational change” in its engagement with the Indian diaspora around the world.

“A successful, prosperous, and influential diaspora is an asset for India. India stands to gain a lot from tapping its diaspora networks and productive utilisation of the soft power that comes from having such a flourishing diaspora,” he said.

The government’s efforts are also aimed at harnessing the diaspora potential, including through the transfer of technology and expertise, he added.

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