More than 3,000 people have been granted British citizenship under a scheme established in the wake of the Windrush scandal, it has been revealed.
From May last year, members of the Windrush generation, their UK-born children, and those who arrived in the country as minors have been able to apply for citizenship free of charge.
As of the end of December, the number of individuals granted citizenship stood at 3,406. The figure passed the 3,000 mark after 585 people were given citizenship in the last two months of 2018.
Ministers faced a furious backlash over treatment of members of the Windrush generation, named after a ship that brought migrants to Britain from the Caribbean in 1948. Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973 were automatically granted indefinite leave to remain but many were not issued with any documents confirming their status.
A public outcry erupted after it emerged that long-term UK residents were denied access to services, held in detention or removed despite living legally in the country for decades.
The latest statistics, detailed in a letter from Home Secretary Sajid Javid to the Commons Home Affairs committee, show that as of New Year’s Eve 2,453 people had been given documentation confirming their right to remain in the UK However the The Home Office’s dedicated taskforce had refused 384 applications made under the Windrush Scheme.
Sixteen requests had been made for urgent support, of which 10 were under consideration, one had been approved, and five declined Officials had traced 131 individuals of 164 identified in a review of historical removals and detentions. The Government has already apologised over 18 cases where people were considered most likely to have suffered “detriment” because their right to be in the UK was not recognised.
A compensation scheme is also to be established.
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