This route is for those children born in the UK and have remained stateless to apply for British citizenship by registration. ‘Stateless person’ means someone who is not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law.
British Citizenship for stateless child requirements
In order to be eligible to register as a British Citizen, the stateless child must satisfy the following requirements.
- Born in the UK
- Have always been & remain stateless
- Under the age of 22 on the date of the application
- Have lived in the UK for the five years prior to the making of the application
Schedule 2 of the British Nationality Act 1981 confirms that if a person is stateless and meets the foregoing criteria, they can be enrolled as a British citizen. In addition, the high court reaffirmed this stance in the case of MK (India) Statelessness EWHC [2017] 1365 (Admin). The notion that a child can petition for “Indian citizenship” is likewise immaterial, according to the court. In order to guarantee that statutory evidence requirements are met, the applicant is asked to provide evidence that they are not a national of any other country.