Successful Collaboration Clears Backlog of Citizenship Applications - 732/2024

In a coordinated effort, the Civil Status and Registration Office (CSRO), The Convent and the UK Home Office have successfully worked together to resolve a historical backlog of citizenship applications, benefiting more than 100 individuals.

Dating back to COVID times, a number of citizenship applications had become severely delayed in the Home Office, with some applicants waiting significantly over a year for their applications to be processed. Recognising the need to address this issue, the CSRO and The Convent worked together to expedite the processes involved. By grouping all of Gibraltar's outstanding cases together and bringing them to the attention of senior contacts in the Home Office, the teams quickly worked through the pending applications, ensuring a timely resolution.

His Excellency the Governor and the Chief Minister have both expressed strong support and welcomed this collaborative achievement, which demonstrated effective partnership between the Gibraltar and UK Governments, resulting in a positive outcome for applicants and exemplifying the benefits of close interagency cooperation.

With this backlog cleared, applicants can now look forward to upcoming citizenship ceremonies in due course, once their certificates have arrived via the diplomatic bag. This milestone also reflects HMGOG's ongoing commitment to efficient and responsive public services for Gibraltar's residents.

The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo KC MP, stated: "The collaborative efforts between the CSRO, The Convent and the Home Office demonstrate the importance of strong, interdepartmental partnerships in achieving meaningful results for Gibraltar. Each team's dedication and input has been invaluable to our shared mission, ensuring the highest standards in service delivery. We extend our sincere gratitude to all involved for their exceptional commitment and hard work in supporting our community. This initiative has not only addressed and alleviated systemic delays which dated back to the COVID pandemic but has also reinforced our unwavering commitment to delivering timely, reliable services to the public. By streamlining processes and focusing on efficiency, we are ensuring that the community receives the quality of service it deserves."