Parental nationality requirement removed for applicants to GCHQ, MI5 and SIS

More people will be eligible to apply for roles at the UK’s three intelligence agencies – GCHQ, MI5 and SIS – following a change to the eligibility requirements to join.

From today the requirement to have at least one parent who is British or from an approved list of other countries has been removed. This means that the only nationality requirement to apply is to be a British citizen.

A spokesperson speaking on behalf of GCHQ, MI5 and SIS said:

We perform best in our mission to keep the nation safe and further the UK's interests when we reflect the diversity of the country we serve. By recruiting people from the widest possible range of backgrounds, we can innovate, challenge established ways of thinking and welcome the very brightest and best people to join us.

The parental nationality rule unnecessarily stopped brilliant people from applying to work with us. Removing this blanket rule means that all British citizens who apply for jobs in our agencies can now be assessed on their abilities and not where their parents are from.

All candidates who are successful in applying for jobs at GCHQ, MI5 or SIS must undergo a thorough vetting process. This will not change under the updated rules. The process looks at someone’s background, lifestyle and personal connections to identify and manage any risks.

Tasked with protecting the UK, we, along with MI5 and SIS have to deal with some of the toughest challenges facing the country, from seeing patterns in a sea of data to undertaking surveillance to prevent a terror attack. We need the right mix of minds and skills to respond to threats and seize new opportunities to create a safer and more prosperous country.