Guidance for Commonwealth Citizens - Windrush Relief

Today 25 April 2018 the Home Office has published guidance for Commonwealth citizens. The guidance has come up surprisingly quickly after the Home Secretary was condemned in the parliament recently against the Immigration abuse of the people from Commonwealth.

If a commonwealth citizen has lived in the UK since before 1973 and has not been away for long periods in the last 30 years they have a right to be in the UK. If a commonwealth citizen has entered the UK during 1970's but after 1 January 1973 they are likely to have an automatic right to stay in the UK permanently.

If you have the documents to prove the length of your stay in the UK the Home Office intends to resolve your application within 2 weeks. The information and the documents required can include to cover -

where you went to school and studied
where you’ve worked
if you have family here
where you’ve lived during your time in the UK

Documents that can help support your application include:

exam certificates
employment records
your National Insurance number
birth and marriage certificates
bills and letters

Amber Rudd announced that the Home Office will:

waive the citizenship fee for anyone in the Windrush generation who wishes to apply for citizenship – this applies to those who have no current documentation, and also to those who have it
waive the requirement to carry out a Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK test
waive the fee for the children of the Windrush generation who are in the UK who need to apply for naturalisation
ensure that those who made their lives here but have now retired to their country of origin, are able to come back to the UK – the cost of any fees associated with this process will be waived
be setting up a new scheme to compensate people who have suffered loss – this will be run by an independent person
establish a new customer contact centre, so anyone who is struggling to navigate the many different immigration routes can speak to a person and get appropriate advice
ensure that people who arrived after 1973 but before 1988 can also access the dedicated Windrush team so they can access the support and assistance needed to establish their claim to be here legally

If you are a Commonwealth citizen in the UK and have been in the UK since 1970's, please contact Visa and Migration Ltd on 02034111261 in order to make an application to the Home Office.

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