The UK has announced a tightening of the procedure for obtaining citizenship

The UK authorities have tightened the procedure for obtaining citizenship in the country as part of measures to combat the increased influx of migrants, especially those arriving on small boats across the Channel. This was reported by Bloomberg on February 12.

From now on, any illegal immigrant applying for citizenship "will be refused regardless of how long he has been in the country," the agency quotes an excerpt from a statement posted on the website of the country's migration agency.

The measures taken are described as "clarifying". Previously, citizenship was denied only to those who had illegally crossed the British border in the last ten years.

Thousands of migrants arrive in the UK through the English Channel every year. Thus, in 2022, the country's border was crossed by 45 thousand illegal immigrants, in 2023 - about 30 thousand . The ruling Labor Party in the country in early August announced its intention to "put an end to dangerous crossings of migrants on small boats, which undermine border security and put people's lives at risk".

In the summer of 2024, a wave of protests involving hundreds of far-right activists swept across the UK over the illegal migration situation. They erupted after a 17-year-old attacked children with a knife during a dance lesson in the town of Southport on July 29, killing three minors. At least 378 people were detained during the riots.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called what was happening organized thuggery and later had to cancel a vacation because of the situation. Against the background of the riots, the politician's rating plummeted by 26 percentage points.