Great Chagos Bank Middle Brother looking toward South Brother_2014_(c) Jon Slayer (featured on Chagossian Voices)

Campaign for UK Citizenship

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Chagossian Voices has played a key role in the successful campaign to obtain UK citizenship for all people of Chagossian descent through the Nationality and Borders Act (2022). We have achieved this through:

  • our submissions and petitions to government departments
  • our well researched documents, briefings and case studies
  • our conferences
  • our meetings and networks with MPs, Peers, government departments and ministers
  • our contacts with the press and broadcast media
  • influencing via social media.

Chagossian Voices were referenced/cited on seven occasions in the UK Parliament during the passage of the Nationality and Borders Bill and our influential briefing is on the Parliament website at https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/43047/documents/78

Click here to read a detailed account of our citizenship campaign

The Nationality and Borders Act

The Act provides a pathway to UK Citizenship for all of Chagossian descent to apply for British Overseas Territories Citizenship (BOTC) and British Citizenship (BC) and opened in November 2022. Chagossians have 5 years from this date to apply or until their 23rd birthday. About 5,000 Chagossians have applied as of November 2023. The pathway provides citizenship to all of Chagossian descent, but spouses (or children) who are not British citizens need to apply for a Family Visa.

How to apply for British citizenship as a person of Chagossian descent

How to apply for a Family Visa

Supporting Chagossians on their pathway to citizenship

Chagossian Voices has supported  the whole community through regular updates and information on social media, in particular our Facebook Page an (Twitter) X Profile. We have also supported many individuals with queries and problems, holding regular meetings with the Home Office, FCDO and UKVI and meeting community members in person in Crawley and Manchester.

Contact Chagossian Voices: chagossianvoices@gmail.com

Contact Home Office with citizenship query: chagossianenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk

See our support page for the community