East Renfrewshire welcomes dozens of new British citizens

The events, organised by East Renfrewshire Council, are the final step in the process to full citizenship and being able to obtain a British passport.

But with ceremonies indefinitely suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, migrant rights campaigners say applicants across the country are stuck “in limbo”.

Home Office figures show 69 people attended citizenship ceremonies in East Renfrewshire in 2019.

This was a rise on the 64 the year before, bringing the total for the last decade to around 700.

Participants are asked to make an oath of allegiance to the Queen and pledge to respect the rights, freedoms and laws of the UK. They are then presented with a certificate of British citizenship and a welcome pack.

Jill Rutter, director of strategy at the thinktank British Future, said citizenship is important for integration and a shared sense of identity.

She said: “Citizenship ceremonies do really matter to new Britons. They mark the end of a long and expensive process, and the start of an enhanced feeling of belonging to the country people have chosen to call home.

“We should restart citizenship ceremonies as soon as it is safe to do so.”

An independent inquiry into citizenship policy, coordinated by the group, is also paused due to Covid-19.

In the longer term, British Future wants the UK to review its approach to citizenship, by reducing the “highest fees in the Western world” and cutting red tape.

Last year, 4,460 people attended ceremonies in Scotland – among 110,000 across the UK.