A 14-year-old “stateless” girl from the Western Isles has won the right to a British passport after a battle with the Home Office.
The unnamed schoolgirl had been unable to find the birth certificates the Home Office needs for passport applications.
She cannot trace her mother, who she has not seen since 2005. Her father died in 2015.
Immigration minister Brandon Lewis probed the case after Western Isles SNP MP Angus MacNeil raised it in parliament last month. The isles’ MP had described the girl’s treatment as “callous.”
But today Mr MacNeil said he was “delighted to confirm” the case has now been resolved.
“I am absolutely delighted that the Home Office has confirmed that this island schoolgirl is a British citizen,” he said.
“When I raised this with Brandon Lewis he told me that he was looking at this case personally and he has kept to his word.
“The family are now in the process of completing the passport application and they remain in contact with the Home Office, who are continuing to assist them with this process.
The grandparents of the schoolgirl said:”This has been a very long and stressful experience for us all.
“We are delighted that our MP Angus MacNeil intervened on our behalf and continued to keep pressure on the Home Office and we want to publically thank Angus MacNeil for all of his assistance.”
The girl was born in the Western Isles, but her initial passport application was rejected because she did not have a copy of her mother’s birth certificate.
She then applied for a status letter – a document from the Home Office that would prove her nationality and allow her to obtain a passport – but this too was denied as they were unable to confirm she was a British citizen.
The Home Office had said that she cannot derive an automatic claim to British citizenship through her late father, and despite numerous attempts she has been unable to trace her mother’s birth certificate.
Mr MacNeil previously said he felt it was “beyond any doubt that this girl is a Hebridean Scot” and has described the case as “probably the most callous I have worked on in my time as MP.”
He said the girl was in effect “stateless”.
A Home Office spokesman said:”Her Majesty’s Passport Office must be satisfied of an applicant’s nationality and identity before a passport will be issued.
“In more complex cases, UK Visas and Immigration will provide further advice to help applicants either supply the evidence that will satisfy these checks or apply to register as a British citizen. We have been in touch with the family to discuss the available options.”