The Immigration Bill has cleared the House of Lords after peers approved the legislation

 The Immigration Bill has cleared the House of Lords after peers approved the legislation at third reading on 6 May 2014.

Peers agreed to an amendment that would enable a child born before 1 July 2006 to an immigrant mother who was not married to the natural father to become British citizens automatically and entitle children born out of wedlock to have the same rights as those of married parents.

Children born after 1 July 2006 are already given these rights under the British Nationality Act 1981.

Moving the amendment Liberal Democrat peer Lord Avebury said "in the thicket and undergrowth of immigration law there are still plenty of wrongs waiting to be rectified.

"But at least if your Lordships agree to these amendment they will remove most of the discrimination against people whose parents were not married that has infected our immigration law in the past."

Unlike in the Commons, legislation can be amended at third reading in the upper chamber.

Finishing Lords' scrutiny

Summing up the third reading debate shadow home office spokesperson Baroness Smith of Basildon said "we are pleased that the bill has seen significant improvements both in amendments and concession from the government addressing issues raid by noble Lords.

"This is a much improved bill [due to scrutiny by the House of Lords]."

The bill will now be sent back to the House of Commons for MPs to consider peers' changes, in a stage known as parliamentary ping-pong.

It is expected to remain in ping pong for an extended period of time into the next session of Parliament after a series of government defeats in the the House of Lords.

At report stage peers voted in favour of an amendment requiring a joint select committee to carry out a review before the home secretary is given a new power to revoke British citizenship, even if it renders someone stateless.

Peers also added in a statutory duty for dedicated guardians for victims or suspected victims of child trafficking.

At the beginning of the session Lord Steel's House of Lords Reform (No.2) Bill, which would enable peers to retire and be disqualified form the chamber, passed committee stage without amendment