Legal News
EU exit referendum fears spark rise in UK nationality applications (25 August 2015)
Date: 25/08/2015
According to Guardian research applications for UK nationality are on the rise ahead of next year’s EU referendum.
Government figures show that the naturalisation of EU migrants has taken a sharp increase in recent years, rising from 10,000 in 2009 to 18,000 in 2013. The Guardian claims that thousands of EU nationals already living in the UK are now applying for dual nationality ahead of the 2016 EU referendum.
The current trend stems directly from the fears of many EU migrants living in the UK and British migrants living on the continent in the face of a possible EU exit. If this move were to happen, it would have more than just economic and political consequences, as it would affect directly the lives of thousands of individuals.
However, applying for UK citizenship is a lengthy and expensive process with stringent requirements restricting the number of people who are eligible to apply.
Should the UK exit from the EU, it could years of reform to the complex UK immigration system. With this, other areas of the UK legal system would also possibly require attention in order to attend to issues such as the treatment of foreign pensions, foreign property ownership, cash transfers between member states, and inevitably tighter restrictions on business and study.
Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors
Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of immigration solicitors, able to advise migrants from the EU and non-EU countries on a wide range of immigration matters, including right to work in the UK and applying for work visas – as well as:
• Asylum in the UK and asylum appeals
• British citizenship
• Human Rights Act
• Illegal entry to the UK
• Marriage in the UK
• Modern Slavery Bill
• Right to work in the UK
• Spouse visas
• Student visas
• Visa overstays.
For expert legal advice on UK immigration law, call Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors on 020 7923 4020.
For urgent help with immigration matters, call the Duncan Lewis Emergency Hotline on 020 7275 2036, where an accredited immigration lawyer is available 24/7.