The UK government has been criticised for bringing in new guidance which effectively bans refugees who entered the country illegally from acquiring British citizenship.
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00:00Do the UK's new refugee citizenship rules violate the UN Refugee Convention?
00:09There have been conflicting claims by politicians and social media users that the UK's recent
00:15decision to make it harder for refugees to get British citizenship goes against the 1951 UN
00:21Refugee Convention. The government issued new guidance saying that anyone who enters the UK
00:26illegally having made a dangerous journey, such as via a small boat or hiding in a vehicle,
00:31will normally be refused citizenship. This is regardless of the amount of time they had lived
00:36in the country. Generally, foreigners in the UK must have spent five continuous years there before
00:41they can apply for indefinite leave to remain and then apply for citizenship. The previous guidance
00:46said that any illegal entry more than 10 years ago wouldn't be grounds for refusal, but this
00:51has now changed, prompting swathes of criticism online. Some social media users and refugee
00:57organisations have described the move as appalling, urging the government to reconsider, while others
01:02have labelled it a clear breach of the UN Refugee Convention. They say this is because Article 31
01:08of the Convention says that states can't impose penalties on refugees based on their illegal
01:13entry or presence in the country. The government disagrees, with Minister David Hansen arguing that
01:18individuals can still apply for citizenship regardless of how they entered the UK. He added
01:23though that the new presumption is that applications from those who arrived illegally will be rejected,
01:29unless they can provide any exceptional mitigating circumstances. Experts told EuroVerify that the
01:35new rules are inconsistent with Article 31, adding that they also go against the spirit of the
01:40Refugee Convention because they stop refugees from being able to integrate fully. Some said that it
01:46feeds into an anti-immigration, xenophobic rhetoric that paints refugees as criminals and divides society.