Revealed: The number of people who became British citizens in Cumbria in 2019

The events, organised by Cumbria County Council, are the final step in the process to full citizenship and being able to obtain a British passport.

But with ceremonies indefinitely suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, migrant rights campaigners say applicants across the country are stuck “in limbo”.

Home Office figures show 136 people attended citizenship ceremonies in Cumbria in 2019.

This was a drop of 9% on the year before, bringing the total for the last decade to around 1,700.

A total of 1.2 million immigrants have gained citizenship over the last decade, although the number fell by 23% to 113,301, between 2010 and 2019.

Participants are asked to make an oath of allegiance to the Queen and pledge to respect the rights, freedoms and laws of the UK.

They are then presented with a certificate of British citizenship and a welcome pack.

Jill Rutter, director of strategy at the thinktank British Future, said citizenship is important for integration and a shared sense of identity.

She said: “Citizenship ceremonies do really matter to new Britons. They mark the end of a long and expensive process, and the start of an enhanced feeling of belonging to the country people have chosen to call home. We should restart citizenship ceremonies as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Maike Bohn, co-founder of think tank the3million, which represents the rights of EU citizens, said the pandemic has caused “huge delays” for anyone wishing to become British – with appointments to provide details at biometric centres also suspended.

Romanian national Alexandra Bulat, a project manager at the think tank, says she has paid more than £1,300 in application fees for her citizenship but is still waiting for her ceremony.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “We know how much citizenship ceremonies mean to people and we are actively looking at alternative, safe ways to reinstate such important occasions.”