The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) has decided to scrap the residency requirements for Commonwealth soldiers.

As part of a drive to increase the number of applicants for roles in the British Armed Forces, the MOD has reduced the residency requirement to zero from five years, meaning applicants are not required to have lived in the UK prior to applying for a role in the military.

As reported on the national news this morning, current vacancies stand at around 10,000 across the forces, although the majority are in the British Army.

There was no mention of Capita, the firm who manages the British Armed Forces outsourced recruitment and selection (R&S) process. Some would argue that the R&S process has degraded under Capita, although other factors also play a role such as high employment rate, distance between civilian and military social environments, etc.