Petition · past parliament · Ministry of Defence

Give Commonwealth members of British Armed Services right to remain indefinitely

Closed 1,027 signatures

What the petition asks

Many Commonwealth ex-service personal are struggling with the process to gain the right to stay in the UK and are suffering hardship as a result.
We ask that the Government automatically granted an indefinite right to remain when Commonwealth personnel leave the Armed Forces.

The Guardian covered the story of one such veteran who has been caught in Fiji after attending his daughter's wedding, unable to return to his wife and family: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/10/i-feel-betrayed-the-british-army-veteran-stuck-in-fiji-because-of-immigration-rules

Timeline

19 Mar 2020 Petition opened for signatures
19 Sep 2020 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 1,027
Status Closed
Department Ministry of Defence
Opened 19 Mar 2020
Closed 19 Sep 2020

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.