Have you been deprived of UK citizenship because of deception? I can help.
I have decided to write this post as I have come across increasing numbers of people who have had this happen to them.
Firstly – it is important, at the outset, to say whether you have been threatened with the deprivation of citizenship or had it deprived, and take immediate steps to try to either stop it or avoid suffering unnecessarily.
Today, we are looking at the case of people who have been deprived of their citizenship by the Home Office, often for allegations of historic deception.
Here at Imperium we have had several clients who have been deprived of their citizenship by the Home Office because they have been accused of lying about their nationality, age, or name when first arriving in the UK. The Home Office has the power to deprive somebody of their British citizenship under the British Nationality Act 1981, either “for the public good” (in the case of Shamima Begum, for example), or where the citizenship was obtained through fraud or lying.
The Home Office refuses to publish details of how often it uses these powers, but in our experience there is a large body of Albanians who entered the UK claiming to be Kosovans.
People who have had their citizenship revoked by the Home Office will often find themselves in limbo. Many of these people will have been in the UK for years, will have families and friends here, and no ties to their home country.
The Home Office states that it will make a decision on any human rights claim within 8 weeks of the citizenship being revoked – but in our experience, it can take closer to 8 months. A recent Freedom of Information request showed that the average time for considering such a claim was 257 days. During this time, the person will be in the UK with no leave and will be subject to the UK’s hostile environment. They could be detained or made to report to the Home Office.
The issue with these sorts of people is that they will usually have a strong human rights claim, especially if they are part of the wave of Albanian/Kosovans who came to the UK in the late 90s and early 2000s. They might have their whole family here, having been working for years, and have no ties to their home country. Most importantly, they might have British children.
If this applies to you, contact us now. We have had many clients in this situation and there is plenty we can do for you. We will put pressure on the Home Office to consider your case as quickly as possible and will ensure that every argument for you staying in the UK is put forward.
If you have an immigration problem, please contact Paul Turner who is an experienced direct access immigration barrister at Imperium Chambers on 020 7242 3488. Paul has over 22 years’ experience in the field of immigration and would be delighted to assist with any visa or settlement, or any type of immigration issue you have.
