The British Army received 16,990 applications from Commonwealth citizens last year; however, 7,880 were rejected, and 1,360 withdrew their applications.

A letter from Andrew Murrison MP to Shadow Secretary of State John Healey MP has revealed significant trends in applications from Commonwealth citizens to join the UK Armed Forces, spanning from 2010 to 2023.

The data shows a notable increase in interest, particularly in the Army, which saw a dramatic surge in applications in 2023 compared to previous years.

Between January 1 and September 30, 2023, the UK Armed Forces received the following applications from Commonwealth citizens:

  • Royal Navy/Royal Marines (RN/RM): 3,210 applications
  • Army: 16,990 applications
  • Royal Air Force (RAF): 2,890 applications

The figures from 2023, especially for the British Army, demonstrate a marked rise in interest, especially for the Army, which saw an unprecedented surge in applications in 2023, far exceeding the numbers from previous years.

The letter includes a comprehensive table detailing applications, rejections, and withdrawals from 2010 to 2023.

Since 2010, the total number of applications received from Commonwealth citizens are as follows:

  • Royal Navy/Royal Marines (RN/RM): 22,720 applications
  • Army: 122,340 applications
  • Royal Air Force (RAF): 12,220 applications

Since 2010, the RN/RM has received 22,720 applications from Commonwealth citizens. However, 16,230 of these applications were rejected, and 5,030 were voluntarily withdrawn.

The Army received a significantly higher volume of applications, with 122,340 received from Commonwealth citizens since 2010. Of these, 48,180 were rejected, and 43,600 were voluntarily withdrawn. Despite the large number of applicants, many did not meet the necessary criteria or decided to withdraw their applications.

Over the same period, the RAF received 12,220 applications from Commonwealth citizens. Of these, 10,620 were rejected, and 1,240 were voluntarily withdrawn.

Rejections could occur for various reasons, including not meeting eligibility criteria, failing medical or fitness tests, or security clearance issues. Withdrawals might happen due to personal circumstances, realising they do not meet the eligibility requirements, or due to the length of the application process.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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84 COMMENTS

  1. I welcome applications from the Commonwealth …it seems crazy tho that, across all the services we are facing manpower and retention issues, yet we are rejecting so many applicants…?

    • Because in most cases they would fail the medical plus there not very good in most cases they normally spend most of there time signed off sick with cold weather injuries

    • There are a certain number of applicants from Commonwealth countries that we accept, beyond that even if they are fit and healthy we start rejecting them. It is in our interest to make sure that the majority of our Army doesn’t hold foreign passports.

      • Agree in principle, but less certain in the demonstrated case that the Army is failing to recruit sufficient numbers to maintain even a much reduced headcount. A qualified, trained Commonwealth citizen is probably still preferable to a non-existent UK alternative, in order to fulfill the mission. 🤔

        • Depends on role.
          UK nationals for various roles in the Royal Signals and Intelligence Corps as just two examples are a must due to security clearances, DV required, for example.

          • Yes including individuals from other five eyes countries, and you can’t stand on your high horse, I’ve been barred from going into an American Artillery Battalion TOC because I wasn’t a serving US soldier, and might see “sensitive information.”

          • Hmmm…personal experience w/ Exchange Officers differed. From an outside perspective, it seemed to be a plug and play scenario. Once received a letter from SAC HQ that was signed out by a RAF Group Captain (w/ a hyphenated last name). Elicited a laugh from others in the office after remarking that this contracting out (of US military) was simply getting entirely out of hand. 😁. Experience of others obviously varied. 🤔😳

          • Of course. There are “certain” units that require British national status for security reasons.

        • I agree, it I think the staff shortages are nothing particularly new, it’s just they are being more noisy about them. We have plenty of applicants. The USA having much the same issue as is Australia and if we all having the same problem then I think everyone else will be.

          However bringing in large numbers of foreign soldiers especially if they are seen to be there for the money will hollow out the armed forces quicker than anything.

          If we really needed to expand then we could just add more Gurkha battalions. They have a 99% rejection rate for applicants with many having to go to Singapore and be security guards if they don’t qualify.

          • we’d get sailors into the fleet sooner if the initial training at H.M.S Raleigh was reverted back to the six week course that I had in the early 70’s ten weeks as it is at the moment is roo long and counter productive.

        • Up to a point, which is why Commonwealth Applicants are accepted in the first place. But ask yourself this: How would you feel about having 50% of the US Armed Forces coming from Central and South America and not necessarily having a US passport?
          At some point, in order for the government not to ceede control of it’s own armed forces to foreign nationals a cut off has to be made.

          • Wow, 50% is indeed a high threshold!
            Nevertheless, if circumstances demanded, would be comfortable w/ appropriately cleared individuals from Five Eyes countries. Recruits from CA/SA? Admittedly, a significantly more questionable proposition. In UK’s case, in addition to Five Eyes citizens, would be recruiting as many Nepalese as feasible to expand the Gurkhas. Fearsome reputation, may cause the Orcs and ChiComs significant consternation and a reason to reconsider adventurism. In addition, there are probably loyal potential recruits available from most, if not all, other Commonwealth countries. Bottom line: If UK citizens are unwilling to serve and National Service is not politically palatable, not certain re any other viable alternatives. 🤔

          • I’m deliberately going high to illustrate what might happen if there wasn’t a threshold at which we said “Stop.”

            The Commonwealth is not “Five Eyes Countries.” It includes states that are famously as secure and aligned with our interests as Pakistan (you know, where Osama Bin Laden was living, and that was supplying the Taliban for most of a decade?), India, and Nigeria. That’s why I said “Central and South America.” Because the equivilent to throwing the doors open to recruiting from the commonwealth would be “Hey as many Venuzuelans and Columbians can serve in the US Armed Forces as possible, despite the cartels and CIA and all that stuff that happens in their home countries.

            I would also not take unlimited recruitment from Russia Friendly South Africa btw.

            No to the Gurkhas as well, I’m guessing you’ve never worked with them for starters, but I guarantee you their “reputation” won’t give either Russia or China pause, certainly not unless there are so many of them that the British Army isn’t British anymore, and then again, we will end up with an Armed Forces that is loyal to Kathmandu, not London. Same issue (arguably worse because at least with Commonwealth soldiers they don’t all come from the same place).

            Bottom Line; A nations defence must remain sovereign at it’s core, and I’d bet that if it was your own nation you where talking about you’d NEVER suggest unlimited recruitment of foreign mercenaries to defend your home. (And there are viable alternatives, paying a decent wage, and also you are really overstating the “people are unwilling to serve” case here).

          • Hi Dern. Small note-“Russia friendly South Africa “-this friendship only really lives in the corrupt and incompetent ruling gang of the ANC and is opportunistic. Russia, to put it bluntly, has no love for people of colour. Saffers serve in the UK armed services in some numbers and are generally good soldiers, many with historic links to the UK.
            The average South African in the bulk of the population has no idea where Russia is let alone any kind of kinship with Putin and co.. There remains much goodwill and kinship with the UK here.
            Just saying.
            Regards my friend

          • Okay, so apparently I’m not being clear;

            The point isn’t: Ban all commonwealth applicants, or even ban commonwealth applicants from specific countries. (I’ve worked with Pakistani soldiers who’ve enlisted and could talk about how brilliant they are equally). The point is there needs to be a hard cap on how many there are because the Armed Forces need to remain sovereign.

          • Agree but bear in mind many Commonwealth countries still maintain a close kinship and history with the UK-in particular Canada, Australia. New Zealand, Fiji, SA, and others including in Asia, the Carribean and Pacific islands so as long as the numbers are appropriate there is no reason to believe sovereignty would be compromised.
            Regards

          • South Africa is not our friend. It has a Pro-Putin government, and the majority of the population sees the UK as nothing more than the colonialist power that put Apartheid into place and enabled it for decades. So that kind of throws the “maintain close kinship and history” with us thing out the window. Many others aren’t either, both India and Pakistan see us as anything but allies and would love a pet British Army to coerce London with.
            There is every reason to believe our sovereignty would be compromised, it is utterly naive to believe otherwise.

          • Hey Dern-why are you so grumpy today? Can’t we just exchange ideas and opinions in a friendly manner?
            The phrase “South Africa is not our friend “has little real meaning. I live here and can tell you that many people of all creeds and colours have an interest in and regard for the UK. There is also a large segment of the population that is pretty much neutral with regard to the UK and others either through poor education and socialisation( courtesy of the ANC) or simple lack of interest. I can honestly say (and remember -I live here) that there is very little interest in or love for the Russians in the population at large. The link to Russia via BRICS is due to the actions of ANC leadership who do pretty much what they want regardless of what people here think.
            Regards

          • Ah I was wondering why you where fanboying over SA so much.I think you need to have a closer look at the methods of Russia that fall below the threshold of war.

          • Thank you Geoff.
            You right about the ANC they premote corruption and to over through South Africa.
            They only want self gain and riche them selfs. The lucky South African who comes to the U.K only wants to make a decent living and break away from the corruption and crime. We just want to have a future for our children and give them a change in live.

          • there are many sailors in shore establishments who struggle to get by while paying food and accomodation charges. the offer of a ship would be grabbed at by many of them.

          • What’s the situation with this re the Foreign Legion?
            Assume mixed nationalities so no dominant loyalties?
            And how do they get round their own security clearances being non French?

            On the Gurkhas, as you know, I’ve always wanted them to be in their own Brigade.
            Not the administrative Bde of Gurkhas that we have, but a deployable one.
            As you know, the CS CSS sub units are there, just not full regiment level in some cases, and are found as sub units in other Regiments.
            Do you think that is why the army command have done this, to keep them apart so we don’t have a Bde of renegades on our hands? Or simply a case of manpower needs elsewhere like I always assumed.

          • The Foreign Legion represents about 7.3% of the French Army, the Brigade of Gurkhas currently represents about 6.2% of the British Army.
            My objection is not to having small amounts of foreign nationals in the Army, it’s when we start looking at accepting numbers that mean the British Army becomes a primarily mercenary formation.
            As for having a combat brigade instead of just an administrative one is probably about providing career opportunities beyond one single role. Most Regiments allow you to move from Armoured, to Light Role, to SFAB as your career progresses, and the same is true with the Gurkhas, moving from Air Assault, to Garrison Brunei, to ARRC HQ support. (Also I think there’s just no incentive to make a combat Gurkha brigade. Why bother with something that restrictive?)
            Speaking of the Foreign Legion, they don’t deploy as a single formation either, being split between the 6th Light Armoured, 11th Parachute and the Overseas Command for the majority of their units.

          • I get your objection completely mate, and agree with it. This is the British Army, not the Commonwealth Army. There must be a bar set. I believe, read, I think on UKDJ, that most serve in the RLC.

          • I’d warrant that’s because the RLC is the largest formation in the British Army though. I’ll probably move on from this thread, I’m getting fed up with people deciding that the pet nationality of their choice being great means we shouldn’t have limits on foreign nationals in the army.
            (And for Zaza, posting below, whose comment is glitched and I can’t reply to: I’m sure the members of the Waffen SS who went on to second careers in the FFL would never have betrayed France if they could’ve gotten away with it. Insert me rolling my eyes incredibly dramatically.)

          • Ahh, Devil’s Guard and Wagamueller? Great book. Some truth in it insofar as Warren SS did end up in Vietnam.

          • The French foreign legion ( the légionnaires ) are given new French identity once they become part of the unit and they are not mercenaries or in any mercenaries formation. They bring to the table diversity that the Future soldering needs in today’s world. Intelligent or recognisance advantage. Loyalty before and after joining is crucial, if you ask me. Because even British Citizens still betray the Crown which is utterly unacceptable.
            We are the same but different. Our Military need all hands on deck to be well prepared for any eventualities. A proper think-tank is needed if not already in motion regarding shortage of quality man power.

    • Agreed. Fifty percent of something is better than a hundred percent of nothing. Which is the current position. Its not exactly revolutionary either. Our forces used to have loads of Commonwealth citizens in them.

    • We generally want a military that’s rejecting applications, it means the quality of the force is good.

      I don’t think any of the shortages are anything to do with raw recruitment numbers. Much more to do with organisation problems, training pipelines and existing staff retention.

    • look at how many Gurkhas applied for places in the British army, ten thousand applied for jus 400 places if the unlucky ones were offered a place in the royal navy, even a small percentage would have made a collosal difference to recruitment issues.

    • I’ve been rejected from RM, RN and Army. I spent over a decade in England but that’s not enough for a security clearance.

      Right now I’m working on another masters degree at a senior military college in the US. All of this just to prove that I’m qualified while asking for a commonwealth waiver.

      Bear in mind that I’m trying to enlist, not commission. I’m already 24 years old and getting too old for this meanwhile all my British friends from school all have zero interest whatsoever.

      They reject potential recruits right away based on certain criteria’s without looking at the applicants attributes, skills and qualifications.

      I also spoke the defence attache at the beginning of this year hoping to attend BRNC, Sandhurst and DA / RCDS. You can guess how that went.

      If I was British I would’ve earned a commission and made O-2 already. Meanwhile recruitment and retention is at an all time low because most in my generation aren’t interested in serving.

      I’ll submit my application for the RAF and if that fails i’ll look elsewhere.

    • My feeling exactly Andrew. I served for a number of years as a South African citizen. Believe that I added much value and passed out as best overall recruit. Represented my regiment and core, served with all positivity and vigour. My son was looking at joining but now forced to persue other avenues as a result of the recruiting stance on Commonwealth citizens. Pitty. Have a fantastic day.

  2. I find it incredible that over the years with many British youngsters not choosing our armed forces the army plodded along with that line “they don’t want to join anymore” so with that in mind,the army essentially did nothing except produce ridiculous recruitment videos and those clowns who run the vetting/applications/recruiting process kept the idea that the armed forces is crap or not worth it. The short sightedness of those clots high up in the army especially could see the Gurkhas we have and what a fine reputation they have, couldn’t they have just created new gurkha battalions ? They know what they’re getting.

    • Foreign Nationals should have a hard limit to how much of the Army they consist off. Plus we did create a new Gurkha battalion, so you know, theres that.

  3. Hate to say it, but a large portion of those applying, use it as a back door to getting British citizenship along with their family

    • That’s the most restarted statement anyone ever made on here.

      You think people who serve in our armed forces should not be entitled to be British citizens?

      • That’s not what he meant though, Jim.
        Yes, you get citizenship, but through wanting to join and serve.
        I believe Mark is saying they have the citizenship as the primary aim and have to serve as a brief embuggerance on the way.
        There is a big difference.

      • Morning Daniele. Per my comment above, Saffers have been serving in the UK Armed Forces for many years and have come from many backgrounds. Jan Smuts was the first non-Brit in the then British Empire to attain the rank of Field Marshall, and with Louis Botha, fought for Britain against the Germans in South West Africa, The SA Armed Forces retained and indeed retain to this day many traditions of the British Armed Forces. I had a friend in the 60’s who had only one aspiration in life and that was to join the Royal Navy, even though he had never set foot in the UK. The profile used to be English speaking Saffers but has broadened now to include a much wider spectrum of SA society (Wider still and wider may thy bounds be set 🙂
        Cheers my friend-hope the sun is shining in the Home Counties!

          • Why not mention Dan Pienaar! And Kitchener and Montgomerys admiration of the Boers as fighting men’!
            Give me two Divisions of Boer Soldiers,,!

          • Okay lets mention the man who consistently refused orders, left other commonwealth forces to die to protect his brigade and later division, and yet constantly got promoted and protected by South Africa? Had Dan Pienaar been a British General he’d have been at minimum relieved of command permanently after Crusader, and more likely put before a Courts Martial.
            Given two divisions commanded by Pienaar and the war in the western desert would have been lost. Afrikaaners really aren’t the superheroes you make them out to be.

          • When we were kids we sang “With a tow row row row row row to the British Grenadiers”. In my young mind they were the finest soldiers on the planet. So over the years we have had the Boers, the Grenadiers, the SAS, the Gurkhas, the American Marines, the British marines, the Paras, the French Foreign Legion etc etc etc.. All making a claim to be part of that conglomeration THE BEST! Who knows if there is such an aggregation but I will tell you that those Dutchmen that hauled Oxwagons over the 11000 feet Drakensberg at the last part of a 1000 mile trek and fought off half a million British troops for more than three years, were a tough, hardy, bloody minded bunch whom I would have been very happy to be on the same side as mine. True they were fighting a guerilla war on home turf but still by and large a gnarly clan!
            ps If i had been in the Anglo Boer War, i would of course have been on the British side😁

          • Okay and that has exactly what to do with the price of fish? Pretty much nothing, except that sometimes South Africans fight okay (still loose), and sometimes they just refuse to fight.

            Sorry I’m a bit bored of the fangirling over Afrikaaners, and the ignoring of the central point that having individuals in the service is fine, but that there needs to be a limit to prevent hostile actors taking advantage of it. And “But Afrikaaners are super cool” is not really a counter to it.

          • Indeed Andy. And one of the great ironies was that the bulk of those “Troopies” were British born or first generation from Brit parents including at the time of UDI, many of the ministers in the Government, military leaders, The first President, Ian Smith’s chief of police whom I knew etc..
            Shades of the American Revolution 1776 😉

        • Believe W.S Churchill, in his memoirs, indicated an abiding respect for the professional expertise and judgement of Gen. Smuts, and considered him to be a confidant. Of course, as others on this site have noted, the end of WW II is now approaching the 80 year mark and many now consider it to be ancient history, perhaps to our collective detriment. 😳

          • Hi FormerUSAF. Always enjoy your comments and the way you express them! Smuts was a formidable personality in many respects-brilliant Cambridge graduate, soldier in the trenches,International statesman,conservationist ahead of his time. He suffered for his support of Britain especially during WW2 and died shortly after his defeat by the Nationalists in SA’s post war election. No wonder he and Churchill had a strong affinity.
            Am meeting my ex USN First Engineer Submariner friend out from Phoenix for a few weeks here in Durban.He is battling Parkinsons but his mind still sharp!
            Indeed-our collective detriment looms as our world fades. Dern accuses me of Fangirling whatever the f*** that means! 😂
            All the best from KZN

    • Generally, would be much more receptive to an individual applying for citizenship after serving a career in the armed forces, rather than illegally crossing the Rio Grande. Unknown whether a majority of Brits would feel the same about immigrants crossing the Channel, but believe it to be the case. Have found that a majority of people are reasonably fair, and if an individual truly risks all, there is an implied debt to be fulfilled by society. Not certain this viewpoint is shared by the MAGA Brigade. 🤔

      • Well they all seem to be of fighting age, bar the small numbers of children. And mostly men!
        People just see that and see the country being dismantled from within over a longer period.

        • Understand your position completely. Believe this viewpoint is shared w/ an increasing percentage of Americans. Despite many other policy differences, agree w/ Trump that a nation that can not/will not control its borders, will eventually cease to be a viable state. This viewpoint is an anathema to our politically far left element. Rant over

          • And to politicians on the left here I fear, and many in general.
            Rant accepted. On that, I can agree with him. There have to be limits. As it is, there are none.

          • 👏Well said Daniele. We are all on the same page. And I do agree with what Dern says about limiting the numbers of non Brits in the UK Armed Forces, but in terms of threats to security, home grown spies feature aplenty in the UK and USA so it is not all down to for example Commonwealth recruits.

          • A very valid rant! Immigration of this kind threatens the very essence of what the UK and USA are as nation states. It would not be tolerated by most of the nations that call us out for wanting to control our borders.
            Too many people too quickly. The Melting Point is one thing, but it needs time to melt!

  4. Capita is sure to make certain very few of these good people make it as far as Basic Training, more is the pity.

    • it took me eight months to get a half reasonable job when I eft the RN all the I’ll get a job because I was in the forces is utter shit and a myth that still exists on every mess deck anywhere if everyone who left the forces were contacted and offered the chance to return, I tell you, a good number of them would take that offer. although not in the overall number needed

  5. I would suggest that the real problem is Capita. Tens of thousands of applications over the years, anything up to a year or even more to process and wholesale refusals, often after telephone interviews carried out by unqualified staff. Bring back recruiting offices and lets see what happens to numbers. While we are at it we can do away with stupid ideas such as 30% of the forces should be women by 2030. Why?

  6. Guys let’s stop pretending that the failure rate of Commonwealth applicants has anything to do with fitness levels. let be honest and say His Majesty’s Armed Forces has a racial quote for brown, black and oriental applicants. Fitness levels is hard to believe because this young population from the Commonwealth seem to do fine when recruited for sports teams in the UK.

    Fact of the matter is, the UK armed forces will continue to have manpower shortfalls simply because the preferred Caucasian demographic is short supply due to dropping birth rates, aging and obesity in that population. Until the UK armed forces is not afraid admit this and look to recruit from the immigrant and Commonwealth population that is predominantly not Caucasian, the UK armed forces will continue to shrink in size because it will lack the personnel to man it’s expensive equipment and systems.

    Finally a point to note is that the Commonwealth provides the UK armed forces a chance to hire highly educated and trained youngster in the desired fields of engineering, computer science, medical sciences, etc., at a cheaper price than the desired Caucasian demographic population of lesser equated (Secondary school leavers) and or equally educated (University and Poly technic) and qualified UK “Anglo-Saxon” and “Celtic” stock.

    • I think you’ll find that as long as “Brown, black and Oritental” applicants are British Nationals there is no such quota.

    • There is a quota on commonwealth recruitment, with no unit meant to comprise more than 25% commonwealth recruits. This is nothing to do with race by the way, under such a system a black British man would be accepted while a white South African man would be rejected if it put that unit over 25%.

      Also your comments on fitness levels of commonwealth soldiers being superior to British soldiers straight away sets off alarm bells that suggest you have zero experience in the army. Guess which regiment has by far the lowest level of commonwealth recruitment? That’s right, the Parachute Regiment which is also the regiment with the highest fitness standard requirements.

  7. I’ve just been on Live Chat with RAF recruitment. Have a family member in New Zealand with a British Passport and at school there (early years spent in UK). Seems he is not able to apply because of the 10years residency in the UK criteria and that you have to apply by age 23.

  8. good news illegal should be aware that priority will be given to those applicants, ahead of migrants a willingness to sign up for our forces health and other public services will get dealt with the fastest and with the quickest .

  9. whatever the submarine service does or doesn’t do. it like the surface FLEET MUST NOT get any smaller. we put our boats to bed far too soon my brother was on Torbay when it was retired. everyone was in agreement that it was still good for another five years at least the swiftsures were lavished on the class to enable them to carry tomahawk then in the blink of an eye they were gone. our upholder class are all still in service in Canada 30+years after we sold them. all four having given a Combined service length of less than 12 year’s!!! we only want nuclear boats says the RN. nobody has the melons ro tell them youl get what the nation will buy you and as many as can be afforded. we want this gun, that aircraft, this tank they are always the most expensive systems that exist. when the U.k becomes realistic with what it wants, things will stagnate further. a fixation with techno snobbery has led to overpriced ineffective use of the defence purse inflation has often led to cancelled projects and slashed order sizes what’s more important tech or quantity ? someone needs to finally decide.
    ..

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