The Government have issued a statement responding to comments regarding the Gibraltarian Status Bill.

A statement from the Government follows below:

The Government rejects misleading claims being made by critics regarding the Gibraltarian Status Bill. The changes introduced are responsible, considered and align with current times. They are designed to protect the integrity of Gibraltarian Status and ensure that the rights and privileges  associated with being Gibraltarian are preserved for those who have a genuine and continuing  connection to Gibraltar. Not because ‘a person had an unregistered grandmother who happened to  be born in Gibraltar in 1924’, as an example. This fact to date, has provided an avenue for someone  and their children to obtain automatic red ID cards. 

Individuals who have not lived in Gibraltar for many years have continued to claim benefits and  entitlements meant for those who live and contribute to our community. Others have taken  advantage to unfairly access public resources. The Government has a duty to act decisively. 

The suggestion that these reforms will create a “lost generation” is simply wrong. The new  requirements for registration are designed to bring clarity and certainty, not exclusion. No child  who is genuinely entitled to Gibraltarian Status will lose that entitlement. The process ensures that  all eligible children are properly recorded, enabling them to access their rights with greater  certainty. It is a straightforward administrative measure that prevents confusion and strengthens  the link between status and genuine residence. In 99.9% of cases, parents would register their child  at birth and not after the age of 8. This is more about Section 9 and Section 5 of the Act, persons  obtaining this status before this Bill after 10 years in Gibraltar and under Section 5, “by descent”. 

It is important to recognise that past abuses of the residency and registration systems contributed  significantly to the pressures we face today. The Government’s residency reforms are not  reactionary, they are part of a carefully considered effort to protect fairness and to ensure that  those who live, work and raise families in Gibraltar are not disadvantaged by others misusing the  system, all while the new immigration Treaty framework is worked through. 

The Gibraltarian Status Bill is about fairness, accountability and respect for our shared identity. It  ensures that being a registered Gibraltarian remains a reflection of a real connection to our  homeland, not an entitlement disconnected from our community or responsibilities. These are  reforms that strengthen, not weaken, the social fabric of Gibraltar. 

The Government also invites the Bill’s critics to look in detail at what’s happening in relation to  Immigration in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. Far more serious changes are happening  elsewhere, all with the same mission to protect their own justifications from abuse and immigration  circumvention. 

The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo KC MP, said: “The Gibraltarian Status Bill represents a  responsible and necessary step forward in modernising our laws to reflect today’s realities. Our duty as a Government is to ensure that Gibraltarian status remains meaningful and fair, that it  reflects a true and continuing bond with Gibraltar. These reforms strike the right balance between  protecting the rights of those who belong. I understand that change can be unsettling, but this  legislation is guided by a simple principle: to preserve the integrity of what it means to be  Gibraltarian, for this generation and the next.”