UK to refuse citizenship to refugees who have ‘made a dangerous journey’
12 February 2025
The UK government’s decision to refuse British citizenship to refugees who arrived through so-called “dangerous journeys” is a disgraceful attack on some of the most vulnerable people in our society. This policy, quietly introduced through new Home Office guidance, will shut out tens of thousands of recognised refugees from ever fully belonging to the country they now call home.
The new guidance states that anyone who has entered the UK “illegally” since 10 February 2025, including those who arrived by small boats or hidden in lorries, will normally be refused citizenship. Most people who arrive in the UK this way are granted refugee status after proving that they are fleeing persecution, war, or other dangers. Now, despite being legally recognised as refugees, they are being told that they will never be able to become full members of the society they have worked hard to rebuild their lives in.
Refugees who settle in the UK contribute in countless ways, becoming doctors, teachers, business owners, and vital members of their communities. By denying them a path to citizenship, the government is creating a permanent underclass—people who live, work, and contribute to British society but are never allowed to fully belong.
It is also a clear violation of international law. Article 31 of the UN Refugee Convention states that governments must not penalise refugees for their method of arrival. The Home Office’s own legal guidance acknowledges that most people crossing the Channel are genuine refugees, yet this policy seeks to punish them simply for seeking safety.
Keir Starmer’s government had an opportunity to take a different path, one that upheld Britain’s international commitments and treated refugees with the dignity they deserve. Instead, it has chosen to continue the same divisive and hostile policies that Labour once criticised. This decision will strip tens of thousands of recognised refugees—people who have already been granted protection in the UK—of the right to ever fully belong. Instead of providing stability and support, the government is creating a system of permanent exclusion.
The government is trying to quietly rewrite what it means to be a refugee. It is sending a chilling message: no matter how desperate your circumstances, no matter how much you contribute to this country, if you arrive in a way the Home Office disapproves of, you will never truly belong.