Guidance

British citizens of Chagossian descent: pre-departure information pack

Published 29 August 2023

The UK government launched a new route to British citizenship for people of Chagossian descent in November 2022. This followed previous legislation which conferred British citizenship on those born on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) / Chagos Archipelago and their children.

This information pack is for British citizens of Chagossian descent who are considering relocating to the UK.

This guide contains information about things you should consider ahead of any potential move to the UK. We have also published an information pack for arrivals, which contains information on how to navigate everyday life in the UK.

All conversions from Great British Pounds to Mauritian Rupees are accurate as of July 2023.

What you need before you travel to the UK

Before you travel to the UK, you should have:

• British citizenship
• either a British passport or a certificate of entitlement in another passport that you have
• somewhere to live

More information on all of these can be found later on in this guide, as well as information on finding employment and education.

You can also read the Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Documentation

Before you move to the UK, you should have (1) British citizenship and (2) either a British passport or a certificate of entitlement in another passport that you hold.

If you do not want a British passport, you can only use your non-British passport to enter the UK if that passport contains a certificate of entitlement to right of abode.

If you travel to the UK before being granted British citizenship, you must follow the existing UK visa rules. If you travel to the UK without British citizenship and are suspected of planning to break the existing UK visa rules, you are likely to be turned away at the border.

If you stay in the UK without permission, you will not be able to access work, benefits, or services while your British citizenship application is being considered.

Finding accommodation

Before you move to the UK, you should make your own plans for where you will live. If you do not do this, you may be at risk of becoming homeless. You may choose to live with family or friends, or find somewhere to live yourself. Your options for finding your own place to live in the UK are set out below.

We will not give priority housing to any person or family, and all groups will be treated as equal.

Housing

You have a few housing options when you move to the UK, including:

1. Renting privately
2. Buying your own home
3. Social housing - there is a long waiting list for social housing in the UK, and you may not be guaranteed a property this way

Deciding where you will live is important because the costs and availability of housing will vary in different parts of the country. Housing in cities, for example, London, are often smaller flats as housing is a lot more expensive.

Renting a home

You have the right to rent in the UK. You can find a property through local letting agents and on property listings websites.

When you find a house or flat, you will likely need to pay a deposit. Your landlord is obliged to protect your deposit.

Letting agents and landlords carry out referencing checks before accepting a new tenant. This may include income requirements or the need for a guarantor.

You should receive a ‘tenancy agreement’. This is a legal contract between you and the landlord. Your tenancy agreement should set out how much rent needs to be paid and how often, the length of the tenancy, as well as any tenant and landlord responsibilities.

You can find out about your responsibilities and rights as a tenant in the government’s ‘How to rent guide’.

Find information on renting in Scotland.

The tenancy will usually be for a fixed period of 6 or 12 months (in England and Wales). You will be obliged to pay the rent of the duration of the tenancy. It is very important that you pay your rent on time. We advise you start to save money so you can manage payments of living costs, including rent, council tax, gas, electric and water.

The table below sets out the average monthly rent for all bedroom categories in different regions in the UK. You can see where in the UK these regions are in the map below.

Private rental market statistics

Summary of monthly rents for all bedroom categories, by region, recorded between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.

Region	Average monthly rent (in Great British Pounds)	Average monthly rent (Mauritian Rupees)
England	825	48,811
North east	550	32,540
North west	650	38,457
Yorkshire and the Humber	650	38,457
East Midlands	675	39,936
West Midlands	725	42,894
East	900	53,248
London	1,500	88,746
Inner London	1,797	106,318
Outer London	1,375	81,351
South east	998	59,046
South west	825	48,811

Source: VOA’s administrative database as at 31 March 2023

Check with the online calculator to see if you can afford to live in the area you want.

If entitled to Universal Credit, your payment might include a ‘housing costs’ element to help towards the cost of your rent. Find more information here.

However, some welfare benefits have residence requirements, meaning you can only access them when you have been living in the UK for a set amount of time. You may therefore be unable to access some benefits when you first arrive in the UK.

More information on renting, bills, and benefits is available from Citizens Advice.

Council Tax

You are liable for paying Council Tax for your property. This is a set amount for the financial year which runs from April to March, and you can pay this monthly. Council Tax is a tax which goes to your local authority for local services such as care, social services, police and local facilities.

Gas, electric and water

Your water is provided by your local water company. You can find out who your local water company is here (England and Wales only). If you’re in Scotland or Northern Ireland this is provided by Scottish Water or Northern Ireland Water.

You can choose your own energy supplier for gas and electric.

Buying your own home

Buying a house is a lengthy process and can take several months. Most people start their search with online property sites or through local estate agents.

House prices across the UK are very different. You will likely have to pay a deposit (at least 10% of the property’s value).

The average UK house price was £285,000 (or 16,861,829 Mauritian Rupees) in March 2023. London’s average house prices remain the most expensive of any region in the UK, with an average price of £523,000 (or 30,942,936 Mauritian Rupees) in March 2023.

If you are considering buying your own home, please see the government’s detailed guide.

For more information on buying a home in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales, please see:

Northern Ireland

Scotland

Wales

Social housing

Social housing is typically a lower-cost rental house or flat provided by the council. You apply for social housing through your local council or a housing association.

You will usually have to join a lengthy waiting list, most of which are well over a year, and you are not guaranteed to get a property. For example, there are around 307,000 households on the waiting list for social housing in London.

Finding a job

As a British citizen, you have the right to work in the UK. However, you will not automatically be given a job.

To look for a job, you can use a free government website called ‘Find a Job’ - to be connected with thousands of employers across the UK. You can search for jobs without an account. To apply for a job, you will need to create an account or sign in.

To get help to find a job, you can:

• register with your local Jobcentre Plus, you can find your local JobCentre Plus here
• look in local and national newspapers or recruitment websites where jobs are advertised
• register with a recruitment agency who can find job vacancies for you
• visit local companies to enquire about job vacancies

You can get careers advice and support from the National Careers Service.

England careers advice

You can get careers advice and support from the National Careers Service which gives careers information to adults in England – in the community, online and on the phone. Young people aged 13+ can call the telephone number 0800 100 900 for help. There is more information here.

Scotland careers advice

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is Scotland’s national skills body. The Individual Helpline can be reached on 0800 917 8000 or more information is here.

Wales careers advice

Careers Wales can help you to plan your career, prepare to get a job, and find and apply for the right apprenticeships, courses and training. More information is here.

Northern Ireland careers advice

Careers Service provide careers information, advice and guidance to people living in Northern Ireland. More information is here.

Your rights and protection at work

When you go to work, you have the right to be treated fairly and work in a safe place. You also have the right to be able to work without fear or harassment from your employer, colleagues or customers.

In the UK, when you get a job, you should also get a job contract or a job agreement. The terms and conditions of your work will be in your contract or agreement. Make sure you read this carefully, with an interpreter, if necessary, before you sign.

If you are a worker, you will be entitled to employment rights such as:

• a minimum wage of £10.42 (or 616.49 Mauritian Rupees) for people aged 23 and over
• protection against your employer taking money from your wages
• one 20-minute break if you work more than 6 hours a day
• to work a maximum of 48 hours on average in a week or to opt out of this right if you choose
• being protected against illegal discrimination
• being protected if reporting wrongdoing in a workplace
• being treated the same if you work part-time as someone who works full time

If you think you have been unfairly discriminated against you can get information and support from a website called the Equality Advisory Service.

If you are being forced to work or your employer is not respecting your rights, you can also get advice from the Modern Slavery Helpline by calling 0800 0121 700.

Get your professional qualification recognised in the UK

If you have a professional qualification, you will need to have this qualification officially recognised if you want to work in a profession that is regulated in the UK. It will need to be recognised by the appropriate regulator for your profession. You will need to do this even if you are doing temporary or one-off work.

The UK Centre for Professional Qualifications (UK CPQ) is a free service that can provide you with information to help get your qualifications recognised in the UK. You can look at the UK CPQ website for more information like whether a profession is regulated and the entry requirements. Or you can ring their enquiry service on 0871 226 2850.

If you have non-UK qualifications, you can apply for a Statement of Comparability to help ensure your qualifications are recognised by UK employers and education providers.

The UK government is funding the cost of Statements of Comparability for eligible Chagossians. To apply, or for more information, contact fcdo@ecctis.com.

Education

In England, parents must ensure their children receive a suitable full-time education between the ages of 5 to 16. However, children are entitled to a place at a government-funded school from the start of the school year (1 September) following their fourth birthday.

You can apply for a school place for your child either when you arrive or before you move to the UK.

For help finding a government-funded school place, you will need to contact the school admissions team in the local council area in England where you plan to live. They will tell you which schools have vacancies. You can find a local council using a UK postcode.