12 Ways a Child Can Get British Citizenship

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]So, I researched all the ways that a child could obtain British citizenship.

[00:00:04]I found about 12 of them. Some were surprisingly unbelievable. Like, some were really, really shocking. I had no idea of them before. In this video, I'm going to share all of them. Ladies and gentlemen, if you want to know, stay tuned.

[00:00:15]>> [music] [laughter] >> So, before I dive into all the 12 or 11 ways that a child can obtain British citizenship, let me tell you something that happened to me this week. So, a friend of mine phoned me and she was like, "Oh, there's this piece of land in Ghana that she really wants to buy." I'm like, "Oh, that's a good idea, you know." And then, she went on and on that it's affordable and she wants to buy.

[00:00:36]I'm like, "Okay." She said it's in a good area and then she doesn't really want to lose the opportunity. The people selling it are legit. She's checked them out. It's good." I said, "Okay." She kept on and on and on and on and I was just hoping that she wasn't going to ask me for money. Because the next thing she was saying that, "Um this piece of land is really hotcake. The location is really hotcake. She doesn't want to lose it and the people want the money ASAP."

[00:00:59]I'm like, "I hope this girl is not going to ask me for money." Because God knows I have only 85 pounds to my name at this moment. And then, she said, "Okay, so she was thinking because she doesn't want to lose the opportunity if she could Guys, listen, yo. If she could send me the money here We're talking about huge amounts of money, right? If she could send me the money in pounds in my UK bank account and if I knew of somebody in Ghana who could give Ghana cedis cash to the estate people or to the land people in Ghana cedis, right?

[00:01:29]And then, she would give me the equivalent in pounds in my UK bank account. That's a huge sum of money just transferring to me. I was like, "Why?

[00:01:36]Why does she want to do it like this?"

[00:01:38]She said, "No, you know the amount is huge. You know, these transfer companies and sometimes it can I said, "Hold on.

[00:01:44]Have you heard about Pesa? Have you heard about Pesa? Pesa won't do nothing to your money. Pesa is regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. If you send the money through Pesa, the people will get it. You can send it to the people's mobile money wallets if they have or make a bank transfer, send it directly to their bank account in Ghana.

[00:02:03]It doesn't have to go through me to be this complicated. Thank God she wasn't asking for money. Thank God it was only this. Ladies and gentlemen, if you want to transfer money to Ghana from the UK or any EU country to Ghana and all to any of these countries that you can see on the screen, guys, use Pesa. No transfer charges, seamless, they're legit, easy. That's what I use. That's what all my friends and family uses. And if you're already sending money with Pesa, ladies and gentlemen, there's a way to win big. You can win an iPhone 17, a Samsung S26, or you can get a 3-month rent or mortgage support from Pesa by gaining entries, okay? So, this is how to go. You earn entries when you make transactions with Pesa. So, if you send internationally like 500 pounds, you gain one entry. If this is your first ever transaction using Pesa, you gain one entry. If you make three or more transactions, you get additional two entries. The more entries you earn, the more your chances of gaining any of these things that I have listed. And if you refer a friend, you get three entries each for each friend that you refer once they actually download the app and then they send money using Pesa, okay? So, once they make a transaction, you gain three entries for each friend that you refer. This is great news.

[00:03:14]Ladies and gentlemen, please remember to use the referral code Naneil whenever you download the app and then you send money. Use my referral code first, okay?

[00:03:22]And then generate your referral code and then share it to your friends and family. Gain entries and win big with Pesa. Thank you so much Pesa for sponsoring today's video. So, let's talk about the very first way to earn British citizenship. So, the very first way is a very common one that most people know.

[00:03:36]So, the first way is automatic British citizenship. So, let's say you're a child born to a mother or a father. If either of your parents is British, you gain British citizenship. I mean, that's the most common one, right? And the second way is if you're a child and you're born abroad or you're born outside the UK, to a parent who is British, you can also gain British citizenship. So, that is a born abroad to a British parent, okay? Either of your parents. But, with this one is a bit tricky. Now, let's So, this one is what we known as British citizenship by descent, okay? So, it's like the citizenship was passed onto you.

[00:04:10]Although you were not born in the UK, you do have strong ties to the UK by reason of either of your parents being British. So, that citizenship, or British citizenship, is given to you, and that's what we call British citizenship by descent, okay? But, the tricky part about this one is that if you, as that child who was not born in the UK, but you get this because either of your parents was British, when you, as that child, gives birth, you cannot pass it on automatically to your children. But, there are ways to do so.

[00:04:37]There's a first one that is under section 3 2, and I'll read, "An application is possible where the child's parent has lived in the UK for three continuous years before the child was born. It is worth noting that a parent cannot have been absent from the UK for more than 270 days during this qualifying period, and must have been physically present in the UK at the start of the three-year period. If successful, the child will also be registered as a British citizen by descent, okay? And there's another way, which is under section 3 5. The requirement is for the parent and their child to have lived in the UK for a period of three years after the birth of the child. The absence requirement present in a section 3 2 application applies here to both the applicants and their parent. And this one is called citizenship otherwise than by descent, rather than by descent, okay? So, you, as a child, you were not born in the UK, but because your parent, or either of your parents, was a citizen, you gain British citizenship. Now, you, that child, you grow up, you also give birth.

[00:05:37]You cannot pass that citizenship automatically to your child. But, if three years prior to the child's birth, you were living in the UK and you had not spent more than 270 days outside the UK, that your child can now also gain British citizenship, you can apply it and it will be successful. Also, if after the birth of the child, right, you live in the UK 3 more years, okay, then you can now apply. But then obviously there are other things that you should meet, that you shouldn't have spent a certain number of days outside the UK during that 3 years period. Do you understand? So now that is the second one. It's quite complicated, but I hope you understand. The third one is registering because a parent became British or a parent became settled if you were born in the UK. So if you were born in the UK and this I'll give you a typical example. So if you were born in the UK and at the time you were not eligible to apply for British citizenship, right, or to register as a British citizen. But along the line, one of your parents either get settled status or one of your parents get British citizenship, you can now apply for citizenship, okay, or register as a British citizen. And that's a typical example of what happened to my son and I did a video about this, right, where he was born in the UK at a time I was on a work visa and the UK does not operate it just solely where you get automatic citizenship because you were born here.

[00:06:54]So at the time he only had a Ghanaian passport, right? He traveled to Ghana on a Ghanaian passport and he came back and he was on a dependent visa, although he was born in the UK. Now, once I got my ILR, based on this, I applied for him as a British citizen and it was successful and now he has a Ghanaian passport and a British passport based on this. And most of my viewers watching me come on temporary visas. When you come, your child that you give birth to here in the UK does not automatically get British citizenship. However, after you attain ILR or after you you get your British citizenship, you can now register that child that you gave birth to in the UK as a British citizen. Kapush. Okay. The fourth one is that you were born in the UK and after your birth one of your parents becomes a member of the British Armed Forces. So it's similar to what I just spoke about. So maybe your parent did not even get ILR, maybe they did not even get citizenship, but because they became a member of the British armed forces, then you can now register as a British citizen provided you can prove all of these things. So, with regards to registering as a British citizen on the basis that a parent has become a member of the armed forces, this is only applied or applicable to children who were born on or after 13th of January 2010. If either parent was serving as a member of the British armed forces at the time of the child's birth, then you qualify. The parent's service must be outside the UK and qualifying territories. The fifth one is living the first 10 years of your life in the UK.

[00:08:22]So, there are several children that were brought here on visit visas. I watched this podcast of a gentleman who was explaining his immigration status. It was really, you know, heartbreaking. He was under age, and I've even interviewed a lady here on my YouTube channel who was an illegal immigrant. She was brought in on a visit visa. She was able to go to school. This were many years ago when they did not require so many proof proof proof proof, right? She was able to go to school, right? She even had a GP. She didn't even know she was an illegal immigrant until she was she was applying to the university and they told her she only had to apply as an international student. I will insert a clip of that video here. Did you have a GP? How were you able to go to the hospital? I think I was registered with a GP.

[00:09:02]Um I was able to open my bank account without papers. Yes.

[00:09:07]I actually went to uni without papers. I ended up getting my my status like at the end of my second year going into my third year at university. Now, so for children like that, okay, it is through no fault of theirs that they were illegal. By living in the UK continuously for 10 years, they qualify to apply for British citizenship. If at the time that they are applying they are 10 years or older, they also need to prove their good character requirement.

[00:09:31]And it should prove that you lived the first 10 years of your life in the UK.

[00:09:35]And during these first 10 years of your life, you should prove that you did not spend 90 days or more outside the UK. In certain situations, even if you spent more than 90 days outside the UK in the 10-year period, sometimes if you're able to explain it well, they can be generous enough and then, you know, grant you the citizenship. The next one is you were born abroad, okay, but you were born to a parent who works in the British Armed Forces. So, the first one I gave was when you were born in the UK, your parents are not British, but eventually they one of them starts working for the British Armed Forces or in the British Armed Forces, then, you know, you qualify. This one, you were not even born in the UK, you were born abroad, but at the time of your birth, one of your parents was working with the British Armed Forces. Even if they do not have British citizenship, you also qualify. Now, this one was the one that came as a surprise to me. It is called registration at the Home Secretary's discretion. So, in some cases, right, it's very odd, right? You can actually apply and then give a very good reason why you should be granted British citizenship. And based on the Home Secretary's discretion, your application can actually be granted, right? And let me give you a scenario. So, let's say you were born outside the UK, and then you came to the UK, right? And let's say your parents all were on work visas, right? And your mother eventually got ILR, and maybe one time you went back to your country, Ghana. And then over there you had a very, you know, tragic car accident and you could not even come back to the UK and you're being cared for, you're in surgery. So, your parents eventually left you in Ghana under medical care and then came to the UK to work. Now, maybe if you were in the UK, you could have probably be due to naturalize or apply for citizenship, but because of all the complicated, you know, being in the hospital, probably maybe you were even in coma, right? Your parents can't say that, "Oh, based on this, if she was here, she would have been due to apply for citizenship, right? So, let's appeal or let's beg."

[00:11:28]So, if you're able to prove all of these things, the Home Secretary says, "Ah, this is such a sad case. Ah, ah, ah, ah, let me just grant her. Okay. So, in very special circumstances, at the Home Secretary's discretion, this can be granted, but I believe that this is a very difficult way to get citizenship because it should be an impossible case, or it should be something that, you know, would touch their heart, or they would say that, okay, okay, okay. So, that is one way. And if you are a stateless child, okay. So, there are people that are considered stateless.

[00:11:56]For instance, let's say they don't even know who their father is, and their mother who gave birth to them was an illegal immigrant, okay. And in their mother's country, they only operate just solely. So, so far as they were not born in that country, they cannot be granted citizenship of their mother's country.

[00:12:10]And over here as well, their mother is illegal. So, in a way it's like they are stateless. In such situations also, the Home Office can, you know, you can apply, and then, you know, plead your case, and then you can be granted.

[00:12:21]Another way is obviously if you are adopted by British parent, eventually they can also apply and register you as a British citizen. Then, the last way that I would talk about is we call something foundlings, okay. So, if let's say, God forgive me for this example, but we know it happens, right, if you watch the news. If let's say, you are found at the bathroom of a train station as a baby, right. Your mommy just left you there because they couldn't take care of you, right. You were abandoned as a baby. And if you are eventually, you know, taken to the police, child services, etc., they can grant you British citizen because we do not know, you know, where you are from. So, it's similar to the stateless person. We assume that you are British, you were found here, right. So, basically, these are the ways. Which of these ways did you not know about? Which of these ways did you only hear of for the first time?

[00:13:12]And which way as well did I not mention?

[00:13:14]Please, let's educate ourselves in the comment section, and let me know what other videos regarding immigration, citizenship, visas that you'd want me to do. Thank you so much for watching. Bye.