Indians get UK citizenship under ‘Windrush scheme’

What to know?

• After a massive immigration scandal that made headlines in 2018, the United Kingdom has now granted citizenship to over 450 Indians under the government’s “Windrush scheme.”
• Home Secretary Sajid Javid said at least 455 Indians had confirmed their nationality as British.
• Discussing the issue at the British parliament, Javid explained that those who requested for a confirmation on their residency status were issued a document to confirm the same.
• Of the 455, about 367 had entered the UK before 1973, and the others are known to have arrived in the later years or were family members of those who previously moved to the UK.
• In the year 1973, Britain had changed its immigration laws and many who arrived before — specially around 1948 — are known as the Windrush Generation.

 What is the Windrush Scandal?

• The Windrush scandal is a British political scandal, which involved the immigration status of the members of the Windrush generation. 
• The generation comprises British African Caribbean people, Indians and several other Asians who were mainly brought to the UK on a ship – HMT Empire Windrush – in 1948 as Britain faced an acute labor shortage.
• The scandal blew up when the home office said to have threatened the children of Commonwealth immigrants who arrived in the UK before 1973 with deportation if they could not provide valid immigration documents as proof.
• While Prime Minister Theresa May had to apologize to the Caribbean nations for the reported deportation threat, even offering a compensation to those affected
• The UK home office then set up a “Windrush Taskforce” to help sort thousands of such cases and as of December 2018, over 3,000 people have reportedly been granted a UK citizenship. In addition, the home office also explained that it had tried to sort the issue with the 83 individuals who were wrongly deported from the UK. However, it was found that 10 of them had died and 21 couldn’t be contacted. It was able to get in touch with the 52 others.

(International)(ibtimes)

Pic courtesy:IBtimesindia