British Citizen Blocked from UK, Questions Citizenship Rights

0:00On April 10th, a 26-year-old woman born and raised in England got blocked from returning home to the U.K. after a trip to Amsterdam. Natasha Cochran de la Rosa holds dual British and Spanish citizenship, but new rules kicked in on February 25th requiring dual nationals, too, enter with a valid British or Irish passport, or a special certificate if using another one. Without that paperwork, she couldn't board her flight back. Instead, airport officials sent her on a flight to Spain to stay with family, leaving her stuck there battling the home office for reentry. She has a British birth certificate, pay slips, tax records, and more, proving her life in the U.K. but none of it counted without the right passport. Natasha feels totally abandoned by her own country, where she went to school, worked, voted, and built her whole life with her British dad in U.K. family. She's at high risk of losing her job as a client success manager, facing huge costs from just a small travel back, and even delays getting her.

1:02Medication Across Borders She's not the only one hit by this. A nine-year-old boy born and card have faced the same issue coming back from Italy on his Romanian passport, despite his parents' settled status. About 1.26 million dual nationals live in the U.K., and many might not know their risk. Right now, her options are slim. Apply for a British passport that could take three to six weeks, but might get rejected over her parents' marital. Status at birth, or seek settlement status for three to six months with the same gamble. This glitch in the system has folks questioning how solid citizenship rights really are for everyday people like her.