(Minister of State (
Ministry of Defence): Citizens from the
Commonwealth have a long tradition of serving with distinction in
the Armed Forces.
In light of changes to the size of our Armed Forces a five-year
UK residency criterion for Commonwealth citizens wishing to join
the Armed Forces was re-imposed in 2013. A limited waiver to this
requirement was introduced in May 2016 to recruit up to 200
Commonwealth personnel per annum to fill skill shortage posts. We
have now decided to remove the five-year UK residency criterion
for Commonwealth citizens and increase recruitment to 1,350
across the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.
Applications will be accepted from all Commonwealth countries,
although in order to mitigate the risks associated with
unaccompanied minors travelling to the UK without the guarantee
of a job, we will not be accepting applications from those under
18.
Applicants from Commonwealth countries will need to meet all
necessary recruitment criteria for the Service and role they wish
to join. Security standards, which will be assessed on a case by
case basis, and may differ from the current UK security
requirements. In 2009[1] a 15 percent limit on foreign and
Commonwealth nationals in a number of areas of the Army (the
Royal Logistic Corps (RLC), the Royal Army Dental Corps (RADC)
and the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC)) was
established as a necessary and proportionate requirement to
sustain operational effectiveness.
As we now intend to increase the numbers of Commonwealth citizens
joining across the full spread of Army roles, we have concluded
that it is appropriate to both limit the overall numbers
recruited, and to replicate the 15 per cent limit across all Cap
Badges.
The requirement for individuals to have Indefinite Leave to
Remain (ILR) or Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) to join the
Reserves has not been changed.
This will not affect personnel from the Republic of Ireland, or
those in the Brigade of Gurkhas.
This policy will be kept under review.
