United Kingdom - Passport & Nationality - NEW - British Citizenship by Discretion (Marriage pre 1983 Spouse - FC)

This solution relies on the applicant's spouse having a paternal grandmother or a maternal grandparent (but not a paternal grandfather) born in the UK.

The UK Government entered into a treaty with the United Nations some years ago to enshrine equal rights for women, and to treat men and women equally. While the UK has passed legislation to allow such claims, the Home Office has interpreted this legislation in relation to marriage as still being from a man to a woman and not the other way round. So the existing stance of the UK Government therefore did not fully address gender discrimination in relation to citizenship applications.

It was only in 1983 that the issue of gender discrimination in British nationality law was addressed for the first time. However, there remained many areas in the law that were not taken into account, and several further changes have been made in the years since 1983 to remedy these. But the complexities of the old laws, and the legacy of the British colonial empire, meant that instances of unfairness still remain today.

New legislation (which gained Royal Assent in April 2022) appears to properly address the unfairness of the older law. Accordingly, it should be possible to lodge an application if one can demonstrate that - had it not been for gender discrimination in the old law - a spouse would (or could) have British nationality in the modern day. Based on your family tree, it appears that such an application might be successful based on your marriage before 1 January 1983. While the theory is complex, this solution broadly requires the following:

 - Date of marriage before 1 January 1983;

 - Spouse was born in what was termed a "Foreign Country"; AND

 - Spouse has a paternal grandmother or a maternal grandparent born in the UK. If the only grandparents born in the UK are both paternal grandparents, then there will be no claim.

PLEASE NOTE (1): If such an applicant has any children under the age of 18, then these children could be registered as British citizens.

PLEASE NOTE (2): WHILE WE THINK THAT THE NEW LEGISLATION PASSED IN APRIL 2022 TO REMEDY GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN THE OLD LAW APPLIES IN YOUR SITUATION, THE HOME OFFICE HAVE ADVISED US THAT THEY DISAGREE. WE ARE ENGAGING WITH THE HOME OFFICE AND HOPE TO GET A CHANGE IN THEIR DECISION. AS A RESULT, AND IN LIGHT OF THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, AN APPLICATION TO THE HOME OFFICE WILL PROBABLY FAIL. WE THEREFORE ADVISE YOU NOT TO MAKE AN APPLICATION AND TO WAIT UNTIL A FINAL DECISION HAS BEEN TAKEN. WE WILL ALERT YOU (BY EMAIL AND TEXT) WHEN FURTHER INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.