IPPR calls for major reform of UK citizenship system, including lower fees and clearer routes to settlement

In a reported published yesterday, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank has called for reforms to the UK citizenship system, arguing that high application fees and a limited focus on civic participation can make citizenship difficult to access and less meaningful for long-term residents.

You can download the 28-page report here.

As the report notes, and as media coverage of the report focused on, the Home Office charges £1,709 for a standard naturalisation application, while its estimated administrative cost of processing an application is only £324. Successful applicants must pay a further £130 for a citizenship ceremony, bringing the total cost to £1,839.

According to IPPR analysis, the UK's naturalisation fee is by far the highest among the G7 countries. The US has the next highest fee at the equivalent of £562, while fees in France, Germany and Italy are around £200. Japan does not charge an application fee for standard adult naturalisation.

The high cost can put British citizenship out of reach for some long-term residents, leaving people who have built their lives in the UK without full membership of the political and civic community. IPPR says the current system therefore risks creating a growing group of residents who remain outside citizenship despite living in the country for many years.

IPPR recommends bringing citizenship fees substantially closer to the cost of processing applications.

It states: "The cost of citizenship should therefore be substantially reduced and restructured so that it more closely reflects administrative cost. In particular, citizenship fees for children should be aligned with their unit cost (£324) – charging such fees should not be a profit-making exercise. The government should also extend fee waivers to those who cannot otherwise afford the price of settlement or citizenship because they are destitute or at imminent risk of destitution. (Fee waivers currently exist for certain immigration routes and for child citizenship applications, but are not available for settlement and citizenship in general.) Fee reductions could in part be funded through an increase to the cost of certificates of sponsorship for employers (currently £525 per certificate). This would shift costs towards admission of entry rather than settlement or citizenship, reflecting the principles we have set out in this report."

The report also calls for clearer and more consistent routes from long-term residence to settlement and citizenship. It recommends that eligibility for settlement should generally be reached after five years, with a maximum waiting period of 10 years. IPPR also proposes that children born in the UK should be able to apply for citizenship after five years of living in the country, regardless of their parents' immigration status.

Alongside making citizenship more accessible, IPPR says the process should do more to encourage integration and civic participation. It argues that the existing Life in the UK test places too much emphasis on memorising obscure factual information and does not sufficiently prepare applicants for participation in British public and community life.

The think tank proposes replacing it with a citizenship course and revised test covering subjects including everyday life, UK institutions, the political and legal system and shared values. The course would also include a practical volunteering element intended to encourage applicants to become involved in their local communities.

More broadly, IPPR recommends that citizenship should be actively encouraged by government, rather than treated solely as an individual choice.

It says: "In the past, politicians have at times been reticent to promote the idea of citizenship, considering it to be a matter of individual choice. We think this is a mistake. People who are willing to become citizens and subscribe to the norms and values of the community – as opposed to those only seeking to obtain ILR – should benefit from a faster process. Rather than waiting an extra year after ILR to apply for citizenship as under the current system, aspiring citizens should be eligible to apply one year before people making an application for only ILR. Citizenship should not be the only option for people seeking long-term residence: there are good reasons why some people will not want to become citizens, particularly if they are nationals of countries where dual citizenship is not permitted. But neither should the government be neutral on the question of citizenship, given the risks associated with large numbers of residents living in the UK but sitting outside the political community."

Former Home Secretary David Blunkett wrote the foreword to the report. He said its proposals echoed reforms he had previously commissioned on citizenship education and routes to citizenship. He called for the process to focus more on people demonstrating their commitment and contribution to their communities, including through English-language and citizenship courses. Blunkett also urged the government to bring forward planned changes to citizenship education in schools and said people entering the UK through authorised visa or resettlement routes should be expected to undertake English-language courses. He said the debate over settlement and citizenship should be approached through "collaboration rather than conflict", with a clearer route to citizenship for those who demonstrate their commitment to British society.