New pathways to British citizenship for Americans with UK heritage

Recently, the UK has opened new routes to British citizenship for thousands of Americans who did not previously qualify. The US and the UK have been long standing allies, and this law strengthens that relationship by remedying discrimination in the UK’s older nationality legislation.

As of 28 April 2022, individuals can apply for British citizenship if they were unfairly denied due to previous biases. You may be eligible if:

• You have a UK-born maternal grandparent and were born before 1 January 1988, in a "foreign country." *
• You have a UK-born grandmother, and your parent lived in the UK for at least three years before your birth
• You were born in a previous UK Territory with a UK-born grandparent.
• You were born before 1988 with a connection to a current-day British Overseas Territory (those born after 1 January 1988 may also have a claim to UK nationality if they have a connection to a current British Overseas Territory, through alternative legislation).
• You were born before 1 January 1988, in a "foreign country" with a paternal grandfather born in the UK but your paternal grandparents were not married.

These five examples represent a tiny proportion of the solutions available. If you have ties to the UK, Ireland or former British territories through parents or grandparents, you might qualify for British nationality.

* A foreign country is classified as a country that was not part of the Commonwealth at the time of your birth.