Petition · past parliament · Home Office

Make foreign NHS nurses and their family eligible for citizenship after 5 years

Closed 1,473 signatures

What the petition asks

We want foreign NHS nurses, and their immediate family (spouse and children), to be eligible for British citizenship after the nurse has been working in the NHS for five years. They should not have to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) first, or wait another year to apply for citizenship.
As a foreign nurse wanting to stay in the UK after 5 years of service, including working through the pandemic, my family and I must pay £2,404 per person for indefinite leave to remain, or leave the country. We would then have to wait a further 12 months before being able to apply for citizenship, at a further cost.

Make it easier for foreign nurses and their immediate family to get UK citizenship please, or risk more nurses leaving the NHS. Ideally citizenship should be given for free but paying for that is so much more affordable than having to pay for ILR first then again for citizenship.

Timeline

28 Apr 2023 Petition opened for signatures
28 Oct 2023 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 1,473
Status Closed
Department Home Office
Opened 28 Apr 2023
Closed 28 Oct 2023

Follow this petition

Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.

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