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Windrush: Amber Rudd vows speedy compensation for hardship Windrush: UK citizenship fees and language tests waived
(35 minutes later)
The families of all Windrush migrants who have suffered unnecessary hardship will get financial compensation, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said. UK citizenship fees and language tests will be waived for the Windrush generation and their families, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said.
She told MPs that the scheme would be overseen by an independent ombudsman. She told MPs she wanted people to have the "formal status" they should have had all along, without having to pay naturalisation fees or have to pass citizenship or language tests.
Promising to waive fees for Windrush families who wanted to become British citizens, she said she wanted to "right the wrong people have suffered". She also vowed speedy compensation.
Labour warned against "token" sums and called on Ms Rudd to publish details of all those who were in detention. Labour said the "buck stopped" with Ms Rudd for a crisis which had brought "shame" on the government.
In a statement to Parliament, Ms Rudd said all those who had "suffered loss" would get financial redress and the scheme would be overseen by an independent ombudsman.
Giving an update in the Commons, Ms Rudd apologised again for changes to immigration rules - dubbed the "hostile environment" policy - which she said had had a "unintended and devastating" impact on the families of Caribbean migrants who came to the UK between 1948 and 1973.Giving an update in the Commons, Ms Rudd apologised again for changes to immigration rules - dubbed the "hostile environment" policy - which she said had had a "unintended and devastating" impact on the families of Caribbean migrants who came to the UK between 1948 and 1973.
'Formal status' Citizenship offer
While the public expected immigration rules to be enforced, she said it had never been the intention for a crackdown on illegal immigration to affect those who were "British in all but their legal status".While the public expected immigration rules to be enforced, she said it had never been the intention for a crackdown on illegal immigration to affect those who were "British in all but their legal status".
"This should never have happened," she told MPs. "We need to show a human face to how we work and exercise greater judgement where it is justified.""This should never have happened," she told MPs. "We need to show a human face to how we work and exercise greater judgement where it is justified."
She said she wanted to give the Windrush generation the formal immigration status they "should have had a long time ago" by encouraging those who were not UK citizens to apply to become so.She said she wanted to give the Windrush generation the formal immigration status they "should have had a long time ago" by encouraging those who were not UK citizens to apply to become so.
All fees and language tests connected with the naturalisation process would be waived and anyone who had left the UK but been prevented from coming back would now be able to do so. All fees, language and citizenship tests connected with the naturalisation process would be waived and anyone who had left the UK but been prevented from coming back would now be helped to do so, without any fees.
Ms Rudd said nine cases had been settled by a special Home Office team set up to deal with the crisis while 84 individuals had had their documents processed. "In effect this means anyone from the Windrush generation who now wants to become a British citizen will be able to do so," she said.
Ms Rudd said nine cases had been settled by a special Home Office team set up to deal with the crisis while 84 individuals had had appointments made.
'Let down'
All Home Office records dating back to 2002 would be checked to see if anyone had been wrongly deported, she told MPs, adding that no cases had been identified so far with about 50% of documents verified.All Home Office records dating back to 2002 would be checked to see if anyone had been wrongly deported, she told MPs, adding that no cases had been identified so far with about 50% of documents verified.
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said the scandal "should not have been a surprise" to ministers, given the warnings that she and others had given about the crackdown on migrants. She added: "The state has let these people down, travel documents denied, exclusions of returning to the UK, benefits cut and threats to deport. This has happened for some time.
While she welcomed the promise of compensation, she said there was a lack of detail and the sums should "reflect the damage to family life" suffered by families. "I will put this right an where people have suffered loss, they will be compensated.
"None of this can undo the pain already endured, but I hope it demonstrates the government's commitment to put these wrongs right going forward."
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said the scandal "should not have been a surprise" to ministers, given the warnings they had received, and told Ms Rudd "ultimately buck stops" with her.
"She is behaving as if it is a shock to her that officials are implementing regulations in the way she intended them to be implemented," she said.
While she welcomed the promise of compensation, she said there was a lack of detail and the sums should "reflect the damage to family life" suffered by families and not be "token".
Reflecting on her families' personal experience, she said: "This was a generation with unparalleled commitment to this country, unparalleled pride in being British, unparalleled commitment to hard work and contributing to society. It is shameful this government has treated this generation in this way."