Celebrating two decades of citizenship ceremonies in Brent

Twenty years ago, the first citizenship ceremony in the UK was held at Brent Civic Centre to welcome a new group of British citizens to the borough, and two decades later, the council has granted citizenship to around 65,000 people. 

Brent was chosen by Her Majesty Elizabeth II, the late Queen, to host the first citizenship ceremony, with the current King Charles also in attendance. 

Since then, Brent Register Office has welcomed around 3,000 citizens per year through approximately 50 group ceremonies or 700 private ceremonies. 

These special and memorable ceremonies have been filled with joy and laughter from those who have reached the last step of the journey to British citizenship. 

Many of those in attendance at these citizenship ceremonies have been through particularly tough and challenging times to reach this stage, including having escaped persecution from their home countries, travelling to the UK to seek refuge. Others may have travelled to work or study in the UK and then have chosen to make it their home.

Several notable citizenship ceremonies have taken place over the past twenty years in Brent. In 2007, a citizenship ceremony was held in Wembley Arena Square. 

The first ever pan London ceremony was conducted at City Hall in 2008, by the former Mayor Boris Johnson, followed by the 2017 pan London ceremony at the Southbank, hosted by the current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan which attracted over 800 guests, one of the largest Citizenship ceremonies conducted. 

Councillor Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Customers, Communities & Culture, said: “These citizenship ceremonies celebrate the significance of becoming a British citizen, a milestone moment in thousands of people’s lives. 

“It was an honour for Brent to be chosen to host the first ceremony in the UK, likely a celebration of Brent’s diversity, the crown jewel of our amazing borough, and we have been just as proud to host every ceremony since then. 

“Each ceremony is an incredible reminder of how much of the world is represented within our borders and we look forward to welcoming thousands more citizens in the years to come.” 

The ceremonies are conducted in groups, although individuals can request to have a private ceremony, as well as invite two guests. 

All individuals make an oath of allegiance (or affirmation) and a pledge promising to respect the rights, freedoms, and laws of the UK.  

Everyone applying for British Citizenship must complete an English for Speakers of Other Languages course, plus the Life in the UK Test or have a degree in English (or equivalent). 

They must also prove their nationality, residency, and employment history in the UK, and provide two referees to verify they have known the applicant for at least two years. 

Find out more and book your Citizenship ceremony today.