My parents did not register my birth, so legally I do not exist – I am untraceable
A 26-year-old woman revealed she has been classified as an immigrant by the government because she has no legal proof she was born in Britain.
Caitlin Walton explained that her mother, who she no longer speaks to, gave birth in her Gateshead home without any assistance in 1997.
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Caitlin never received a birth certificate, but didn’t learn about her situation until she was nineteen.
After leaving her mother’s home, she found herself in a bureaucratic no man’s land, as the lack of a birth certificate prevents her from obtaining a full Social Security number, passport or driver’s license.
As a result, Caitlin cannot get a job and legally ‘doesn’t exist’.
In 2019, she tried to apply for a passport but was told by the passport office that she had to provide proof of her birth in the UK.
“Before a registration can be authorised, we must be certain, through independent evidence, of the precise date and place of your birth,” they said.
“There must also be a qualified person who can go to a registration office to provide information for the birth registration and to sign the register.
“Since it appears that the above conditions cannot be met, the late registration of the birth cannot be allowed.”
Caitlin said she only managed to get a bank account after her aunt and cousin came with her and begged Halifax to give her one.
Her aunt and cousin have had to take care of everything since she was 18 because she has no way to earn her own money.
Caitlin says she is technically classified as a ‘white British immigrant’ – despite being born here.
“I just want to be able to work and live a normal life, but if I were to die, I would be untraceable right now,” she said.
“The constant trauma of not actually existing has been horrible.”
Growing up, Caitlin had no idea of the administrative nightmare she would one day face.
It started when she left home at the age of 18 and “that’s when everything started to unravel.”
With nowhere else to turn, Caitlin moved in with her aunt.
“I wanted to get a job, but when I tried, I realized I couldn’t prove my existence,” she said.
How long do you have to register a birth in Great Britain?
According to the UK government, all babies born in England, Wales or Northern Ireland must be registered within 42 days of birth.
You can do this at the local registry office in your area or at the hospital before the mother leaves.
There is no charge to register your baby, but there is a small fee to obtain a copy of the birth certificate.
Caitlin has contacted the civic center for answers.
“I searched for six hours at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead but they couldn’t find any evidence that I was born there,” she said.
Even a national search for birth certificates in hospitals turned up nothing.
Caitlin’s heartbreak was compounded when she had to request her medical records, only to discover that there was no documentation of her life until she was three years old.
“I feel completely invisible. I couldn’t understand why my mother hid me for the first few years, but it seems she did,” she said.
She has been told that the Home Office cannot help her because she is not a ‘British citizen’ according to the public records, while the General Register Office and Gateshead Council are unsure how to proceed with her case.
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She tried to get legal aid but was quoted £20,000 by a lawyer.
“I feel like I’ve been wiped off the face of the earth,” Caitlin said.
The toll on her mental health is enormous.
‘There is the trauma of what my mother did, but also the feeling that I have no control over my life.
Despite her best efforts, Caitlin feels trapped in a cycle of rejection.
‘I went to the police, but they told me it was a ‘family matter’. It’s like no one cares.”
Caitlin’s mother and father are no longer in her life and she has lost contact with two other siblings who, she says, were also not registered at birth.
“I feel so alone. My mother abandoned me, my family doesn’t want to help, and now even the government seems indifferent.”
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Caitlin lives with her aunt and is desperate for a chance to build her own life.
“I want to work, rent my own place, but without proof of who I am, I’m stuck,” she explained.
Her frustration grows as she thinks about her situation.
“If something happens to my aunt, I don’t even know where to go,” she said.
“How can I have lived in this country all my life but be invisible?”
Although she attended school, Caitlin remembers moving often when authorities asked questions about her background.
“I was passed from school to school like a parcel. I went to about ten schools.”
“The government has a duty to help people like me. No one should have to go through life like this, unable to work, drive or even prove they are alive.”
The Ministry of the Interior has been contacted for comment.
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