UK to offer citizenship to group of Caribbean immigrants targeted over their status
The British interior minister said members of the so-called Windrush generation would be offered compensation and full status as citizens
The UK government said on Monday that emigrants to Britain decades ago who have been wrongly targeted over their immigration statuses will be eligible for free citizenship, as it tries to contain the continuing crisis.
Interior Minister Amber Rudd announced that members of the so-called Windrush generation who arrived in Britain from the Caribbean before 1973, as well as those from other Commonwealth countries, could capitalise on the offer.
She also confirmed that a compensation scheme would be set up for people who have suffered loss or damage because of their inability to show they remained in Britain legally and to access services.
“It is only right that the significant contribution the Windrush generation have made to the UK is recognised,” said Rudd, who answered questions about the matter in Parliament.
“I want to ensure they can acquire the status they deserve – British citizenship – quickly, at no cost and with proactive assistance through the process.”
The so-called Windrush generation, named after the ship that brought over the first group of West Indian immigrants in 1948, were invited to work in Britain after the second world war.