Those from inside the Commonwealth will not need British citizenship to apply.
5th November 2018 at 10:03am
Those from inside the Commonwealth will not need British citizenship to apply
British residency requirements for Commonwealth citizens who wish to join the Armed Forces are to be scrapped, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will announce today.
The MOD will remove the need for Commonwealth citizens to have lived in the UK for five years before applying for service.
Applicants from nations including India, Australia, Canada and Fiji will be considered for all roles in the forces, without having lived in Britain.
Since 2016, a maximum of 200 Commonwealth recruits have been allowed to apply for certain jobs without meeting a residency requirement.
All other Commonwealth applicants who have lived in Britain for five years have been eligible to apply.
Now the cap has been lifted.
According to forces.net Armed Forces are struggling to recruit enough personnel to fill a shortfall in their ranks and the MOD hopes the move will allow it to enlist an extra 1,350 personnel annually.
The Army will begin the admissions from early next year, while the Navy and RAF will commence the process immediately.
Those from inside the Commonwealth will not need British citizenship to apply.