Commonwealth natives will now be able to join the British military. Credit:© Crown copyright.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that Commonwealth nationals who have never lived in the country will now be allowed to join the British Army.

Previously, personnel joining the armed forces from these countries were required to have stayed in the UK for a minimum of five years.

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With the current announcement, all roles and ranks will be open to the citizens aged 18 years and above from Commonwealth countries.

UK Armed Forces Minister Mark Lancaster said: “As an outward-looking nation, Britain has always counted on the dedicated service of our friends from the Commonwealth to keep this country safe.

“From Australia to Jamaica, to Fiji and South Africa, Commonwealth recruits are already playing a key role in our armed forces.

“Their different perspectives will also help us to enhance our cultural understanding, giving us an operational advantage over our adversaries.”

“So we’re stepping up the numbers of recruits from the Commonwealth, knowing that they will bring key skills and dedicated service to our military. Their different perspectives will also help us to enhance our cultural understanding, giving us an operational advantage over our adversaries.”

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To be introduced over several years, the MoD intends to increase the number of Commonwealth recruits in the UK Military to 1,350 personnel every year.

Of the 1,350 annual recruits, the British Army expects to include nearly 1,000 personnel, the Royal Navy will have 300 recruits and the Royal Air Force (RAF) is expected to involve 50 military personnel.

Currently, the country has approximately 4,500 citizens from the Commonwealth countries in-service with the British Armed Forces.

The British Army is expected to accept applications from early next year.