Before you apply for naturalisation, you must also ensure that you meet additional requirements. Your total number of absences from the UK must not exceed a specific time frame, especially during the last year of your qualifying period, when you cannot spend more than 90 days outside the UK. It is also essential to satisfy the English language requirements unless you are exempt.
To apply for British citizenship, you can complete the relevant Home Office naturalisation form. The application process usually takes from three to six months. If your application is approved, you will receive an invitation to attend a Citizenship ceremony to obtain your Certificate of Naturalisation.
According to your circumstances, there are several routes you can follow to register as a British citizen. When submitting your request to become a British citizen, it is essential to prepare an adequate portfolio of documents to demonstrate that you meet all the residency requirements.
This will help the Home Office evaluate your case and speed up your processing time. The following are the documents that you must send to the Home Office to get British citizenship:. Both ILR including permanent residence and EU Settled status and British nationality give you the right to live, work and study in the UK free from immigration controls. However, these are two distinct status.
Once you get this status, you will be officially a British settled person, and you will be able to live permanently in the UK, access public funds, be joined by your family and leave and re-enter the country without the need to apply for a visa.
However, it is essential to note that you can lose your ILR status if you live outside the UK for more than two years. British nationality will grant you full rights and responsibilities, including the ability to vote in parliamentary and local elections and to obtain a British passport. Most importantly, you will be able to leave the UK for unlimited periods of time without worrying about losing your status.
As a general rule, you can become a British national once you have held Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK for at least 12 months. On the other hand, if you are married to a British citizen, you can apply for Naturalisation immediately after you get Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK.
During the month qualifying period, you cannot spend more than 90 days away from the UK. You may be asked to provide details about any absence that you had made before submitted your request. If you hold Indefinite Leave to Remain, but you are away from the UK for more than two years, you will lose your status, and you will not qualify to British nationality until you have spent further eligible time in the UK.
If you are an EU citizen holding settled status, you will lose your right to settle in the UK after spending more than five years abroad. Applying for British nationality may be stressful and time-consuming.
At IAS, we are committed to professionally assisting all our clients. Your case will be processed by an experienced lawyer, who will assess your situation and advise you on how to proceed. Hire one of our specialists to ensure that each part of your forms is completed by our experts. Call us on or make an enquiry online to find out if you qualify to become a British national. At IAS, our immigration lawyers can help you through each step of your British nationality case. After assessing your eligibility, your dedicated lawyer will complete your application form to the best standard.
This includes performing a full document check to ensure that your portfolio of evidence is adequate. We can also prepare a Letter of Representation to support your case. Call us on or book an appointment at one of our office, located in London , Birmingham , Manchester and other areas of the UK, to get started on your application.
Get in touch with our expert immigration lawyers to receive assistance on your British Citizenship case. Contact Us. To send your request, you need to complete the application form provided by the UKVI, and submit it along with your supporting documentation. The Home Office may contact you to let you know if you can provide your information at a local post office. Each section of the form requires you to provide detailed information about your case to prove your eligibility.
This includes your biographical data, proof of residency, details of your employment status and any dependant applying with you. If you are registering as the spouse of a British national, you must also produce evidence of your relationship.
Do not forget to include details of your two referees, who will need to sign your form to confirm that the information you provided on your form is correct. Your application needs to be certified by two referees of your choice. Their role is to confirm that the information you have provided on your form is correct. Your referees must both have known you for at least three years, and they cannot be related to you or each other.
In addition, they must not have had any criminal convictions within the last ten years prior to your application. One of your referees must be a person of professional standing, such as a doctor, a minister of religion, or a member of a professional body.
However, he or she cannot be employed by the UKVI nor be a solicitor or agent representing you on this case. It is not essential for this person to be a British citizen. Nevertheless, your other referee must be a UK national and hold a British passport. This person must either be at least 25 years old or an accredited professional. Although it is not possible to apply for the Premium Same Day Service to speed up this type of applications, you may receive your answer from the Home Office earlier than the expected waiting time.
While complex cases are likely to take more than the average six-month period if you provide comprehensive and adequate documentation about your circumstances the Home Office will be able to review your case quicker. If you fail to submit all the required documents and evidence, your request will most likely be delayed. Once your application is approved, you will need to wait until you are summoned for your Citizenship Ceremony to receive your Naturalisation certificate and to apply for a British passport.
Also known as the British Citizenship Test, this exam consists of 24 questions about British culture, histories and customs, which all British citizens must know. All the questions are based mainly on the information included in the Life in the UK Handbook provided by the Home Office.
If you have already lived in the UK and obtained a pass certificate as a part of your Indefinite Leave to Remain eligibility requirements, you will be exempt from this British nationality requirements.
The same applies to those who are aged between 18 and 65 or who suffer from a long-term illness or disability. You can book your test online. This must be done at least three days in advance, and you can only choose one of the five centres closest to where you live. On the day of your exam, you must bring with you the same ID that you used to book the test, as well as any proof of your address. If you fail to provide the correct documentation, you will not be able to sit the test, and you will not get a refund.
If you pass the test, you will receive a notification letter that you have to send to the UKVI together with your permanent residence form. Otherwise, if you fail the test, you will be able to retake it as many times as you need to. To be eligible, you must have a recognised English test qualification at least at B1 level from an approved test centre.
It must be highlighted that some test qualifications only last for 2 years. If you have any questions about your British Citizenship application, our team is happy to assist. Under the British Nationality Act, all applicants over the age of 18 who are accepted as naturalised British citizens in the UK are required to take part in a Citizenship ceremony.
The aim is to make each new British citizen fully welcomed into the British community. Ceremonies must be booked within 3 months of the date you received an invitation from the Home Office. Although you can bring one guest to your service, these functions are not open to the public and are usually attended by the Mayor or Deputy Mayor of your council.
When attending your ceremony, you must bring with you both your Home Office letter of invitation and written confirmation from the Register Office. You will be asked to take an Oath of Allegiance and pledge of loyalty to the United Kingdom. After this rite, you will receive your British nationality certificate and an information pack to learn more about your new rights and responsibilities as a British citizen.
If you live outside the UK, you can ask the embassy or consulate in your country to have your ceremony there. Otherwise, if you plan to return to the UK within 3 months of getting your invitation, you may postpone your function. If you are married to a UK national, you can submit your application for naturalisation after three years of lawful and continuous residence in the UK as a settled person. Before you submit your Form AN, Application for Naturalisation as a British Citizen, you must ensure you meet the following requirements:.
Not every child born in this country automatically receive British Citizenship by birth. In fact, to be eligible, at least one of the parents must be a British citizen or hold settled status. Children born in the UK to non-British citizens parents will automatically be recognized as dependants, and thus subject to the same visa rules as their parents.
If this is your case, you may be able to register for British citizenship at a later time. British Citizenship by descent is acquired by those who were born outside the UK from at least one parent who was or is a British citizen. In other words, British nationality cannot be automatically passed on any child who is born abroad.
If you were born after 1 st January , you may be able to register for UK nationality by descent if you have a British born grandfather who was in Crown service, or if one of your parents was born in a former British colony. According to the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act, the path to nationality and permanent residence in the UK for refugees comprises three different stages:.
On average, British nationality applications are processed within three to six months. However, this timeframe may vary depending on the complexity of your case and the volume of requests that the Home Office has to handle. Since you do not need to send your original passport along with your Naturalisation form, you can travel abroad freely while your case is processed.
You cannot track your application status online. Nevertheless, you can get in touch with the UKVI either by email or over the phone to enquire about the status of your request at any time. You can apply to give up and renounce your British citizenship or status. For instance, you might wish to do this to become a citizen of another country that does not allow dual nationality.
On the other hand, it must be noted that, if you wish to register as a national of a country that allows dual citizenship, you do not need to renounce status in the UK.
This can be used to demonstrate that you are no longer British. However, this will only affect you. Any other member of your family will retain his or her status as a UK national. To renounce your status as a British national, you must be at least 18 years old. If you have given up your status, but you changed your mind, you can apply for resumption. You can check if your child can get British citizenship and what form you should use.
You need to prove your residency even if you've done it before - for example, by applying for 'settled status'. You should check how many days you were outside the UK - if it's over the limit you might be refused. You'll need to separately count these for the:. You can be out of the UK for up to 90 days in the year before you apply. If you were away for longer, you could delay applying. You might not be able to count any time when you didn't have a job or claim benefits - this is called being 'self sufficient'.
You can only count time you were self-sufficient or a student if you also had comprehensive sickness insurance. You might be able to count time even if you didn't have comprehensive sickness insurance, for example, if you were self-employed. The test asks questions about UK laws and the legal system, working and other details of life in the UK.
For example, if you're receiving medical treatment for a serious illness. If you have a physical or mental condition that stops you passing the test, you might not have to do it. You'll need to ask your doctor to confirm that your condition:.
You can get a form for your doctor to fill in on GOV. You need to study the official handbook to pass the test. Some colleges offer short courses to help prepare for the test. You'll have to pay a fee to attend. You need to prove you understand English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic before you can apply for citizenship.
You'll need to pass a speaking and listening test at an approved centre - you can find a secure English language test provider on GOV. If the Home Office finds you've left something out, they might refuse to accept your application.
These are people who know you and can help prove your identity. They can't be a referee if they've had a criminal conviction in the last 10 years, unless a certain period of time has passed.
For example, the rehabilitation period for a fine is 1 year. You can find the rehabilitation periods on GOV. Before you apply, check the list and the rest of the rules for referees in the nationality guidance on GOV. The list of who can be a referee is under 'Commonly used terms'.
If something is missing or wrong, the Home Office can refuse to accept your application and you will not get your money back. You might have to wait 10 years before you can apply again. By continuing to use our website without changing your settings, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and use of cookies.
More Info Got It. Live permanently in the UK Access world-class medical care — free! Feel safe in a stable society and secure economy Travel the world with a British passport. Check if you meet the citizenship requirements There are 5 basic requirements to apply for British citizenship through naturalisation that most candidates must meet. Generally, this means not having committed any serious crimes or immigration fraud.
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