We won! #ByeByeCSI
Just over two years ago the3million started the campaign #ByeByeCSI. You wrote to your MPs explaining the unfairness of it and the difficulties it threw up for those who wanted to apply for British citizenship.
We took every opportunity to put forward amendments in relevant bills with the help from supportive MPs and Peers. We asked you to push your MPs to support these amendments. We brought it up in meetings, held webinars, and we went to the press with it.
The wheels of campaigning turn slow, but here it is! Comprehensive Sickness Insurance for those who were students or self-sufficient at the time is no longer a requirement when wanting to become British.
From now you do not need to have had, or to explain why you did not have CSI in qualifying periods. Simply to have been granted EU Settled Status or Indefinite Leave to Remain suffices to meet the lawful residence requirement. Applications already submitted will also benefit from this new ruling.
(Note: if you’ve a more complex immigration history, you should still seek legal advice, because in certain circumstances the Home Office can still look at your history.)
So well done you!
All of you who helped and supported us were instrumental to get this outcome. I know campaigning is a long game, and often frustrating. I started writing about CSI, of which I never heard until I found out after the referendum that because of it I would not be granted Permanent Residence (at the time an EU status you got when living 5 years in another EU country) in 2017.
Many of you will know too how difficult it is to get a positive or supportive response, if any response at all. But make no mistake, every single mail and letter contributed to the political pressure and slow drip-feeding of the awareness among MPs, Peers and policy makers.
the3million realise that becoming British is a personal choice, and that for some the option is not there due to rules in the countries of their other nationality. But for those who want and are able to, the option should be as simple as possible. We are so happy that this huge hurdle, with all its unfairness, at least has now been removed.
Thank you all who helped us to get there with your writing and support. It is a great feeling that campaigning does work and that together we are strong.
