UK Parliament / Open data

Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL]

I would like the Minister to be very clear about the difference between these two nominations. The noble Lord, Lord West, explained at Second Reading that probationary citizenship was intended to demonstrate that probationary citizens were on a journey. However, interim leave to remain suggests precisely the same: it is the same process, whereby migrants are on a journey to citizenship. I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Avebury, that "probation" is an unfortunate term here. It sounds as if everything is against the person trying to get their citizenship. Probation means that you have to be on your best behaviour all the time, whereas, as the correspondence that we have received shows, everybody understands "interim leave to remain". Will the Minister tell us what the differences are, apart from the name? Is there anything in probationary citizenship that is different from interim leave to remain? If there is not, please could we stick to the name that we have?

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

708 c517 

Session

2008-09

Chamber / Committee

House of Lords chamber
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