HARARE - More than 800 Zimbabweans have successfully applied for British citizenship during the past eight years, according to provisional figures released by the United Kingdoms Minister of State in the Home Office Baroness Neville-Jones last week.
Responding to a question in the House of Lords from Lord Avebury on the total number of successful applications for British citizenship during the past eight years, Baroness Neville-Jones said Zimbabweans were the sixth largest group to acquire British nationality between January 2003 and December last year.
A total of 810 Zimbabweans were granted British citizenship while 70 others listed as Rhodesians and five more classified as Southern Rhodesians also qualified. The highest number of successful applications was last year when 195 Zimbabweans acquired British citizenship while only 35 qualified in 2009.
The number of successful applications made Zimbabwe the second largest African country granted citizenship after South Africa with 3 505 applicants. Australia topped the list of successful citizenship applicants, with 5 265 permits granted. South Africa is second on the overall list, followed by the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.
Thousands of Zimbabweans fled to the UK after 2000 to escape political persecution and economic hardships in the southern African country. The majority of them have been unsuccessful in their bid to seek political asylum and the UK has during the past year dangled a cash inducement to entice the refugees to return home.
The UK has offered 2 000 cash and other allowances to voluntarily return back to their country and has also announced plans to resume a forcible removal programme for refugees which was suspended about five years ago.
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