Grant an urgent Amnesty to Undocumented Migrants living in the UK
103,441 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 14 January 2021; it closed on 14 July 2021. The Government responded on 18 March 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 19 July 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Grant an urgent Amnesty to Undocumented Migrants living in the UK
Undocumented Migrants are suffering in silence, with no access to adequate Financial support, or any help. The Government should grant an urgent Amnesty of 5years to those with no criminal record so that they could live their lives as normal human beings and pay tax to help the UK economy.
The current pandemic has created a more hostile environment for undocumented migrants. The Government should grant an immediate Amnesty to the Undocumented Migrants with no criminal record, to enable them to live their lives as decent human beings and help the Country economically. Since the migrants are already in the UK, it would not only be cost effective but would make sense to keep them in the UK and grant them citizenship so that they are granted their basic human rights.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 18 March 2021; the petitions site lists the Home Office as responsible. Its summary:
The Immigration Rules already provide for undocumented migrants to regularise their status where appropriate, but such a provision would unduly reward those who have not complied with immigration law.
The response in full:
We must maintain the integrity of our immigration system and ensure it is fair to those who have done the right thing and migrated here lawfully, plus contributed by paying items like the Immigration Health Surcharge, while also ensuring it works for UK taxpayers who fund public services. We will not reward those who exploit the system and break the rules by implementing this request.
The Immigration Rules already provide for undocumented migrants, who have not broken the law except for remaining here without lawful immigration status, and who have been in the UK for a long time, to regularise their status.
Home Office
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 3,899, came from Ealing, Southall.
101,695 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,746 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Ealing, Southall | 3,899 |
| Hayes and Harlington | 3,799 |
| Ilford South | 3,080 |
| Feltham and Heston | 2,223 |
| Slough | 2,133 |
| Warley | 2,071 |
| Wolverhampton South East | 1,913 |
| East Ham | 1,857 |
| West Bromwich East | 1,558 |
| West Ham | 1,331 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 43,780 |
| West Midlands | 18,442 |
| South East | 9,549 |
| East Midlands | 6,505 |
| East of England | 5,261 |
| North West | 5,136 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 3,943 |
| Scotland | 2,426 |
| South West | 1,958 |
| North East | 1,318 |
| Wales | 952 |
| Northern Ireland | 235 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 19 July 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/567681.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
8a4e6e3752544422… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.