Western Isles teenager denied passport now British citizen

The case was raised in the House of Commons by islands MP Angus MacNeil

A girl denied a British passport because she could not find the birth certificate requested by the Home Office has been made a British citizen.

The unnamed 14-year-old from the Western Isles cannot trace her mother, who she has not seen since 2005. Her father died in 2015.

Western Isles SNP MP Angus MacNeil raised the case in Westminster last month.

Mr MacNeil has confirmed that girl's case has now been resolved.

The MP said: "I am absolutely delighted that the Home Office has confirmed that this island schoolgirl is a British citizen.

"When I raised this with Brandon Lewis MP, immigration minister, he told me that he was looking at this case personally and he has kept to his word."

'Stressful experience'

He added: "The family are now in the process of completing the passport application and they remain in contact with the Home Office, who are continuing to assist them with this process."

In a statement, the girl's grandparents said: "This has been a very long and stressful experience for us all.

"We are delighted that our MP Angus MacNeil intervened on our behalf and continued to keep pressure on the Home Office and we want to publicly thank Angus MacNeil for all of his assistance."

The girl was born in the Western Isles, but her initial passport application was rejected because she did not have a copy of her mother's birth certificate.

She then applied for a status letter - a document from the Home Office that would prove her nationality and allow her to obtain a passport - but this too was denied as they were unable to confirm she was a British citizen.