Naturalisation And British Citizenship Applications

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There are a number of ways that you can become a British Citizen, and the most popular method is through a process called ‘naturalisation’.

To apply for naturalisation, you must be:

• Aged 18+

• Considered of good character (i.e. you have not committed any immigration or criminal offences)

• Intending to remain in the UK

• Able to meet the knowledge of English and Life in the UK requirements

• Able to meet the residency requirements

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In addition to this, you must have also lived in the UK for at least 5 years before the date of your application and have spent no more than 450 days outside the UK during those 5 years. Furthermore, it is important that you have not spent any more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months. If you’re from outside the EEA and have had a settlement (‘indefinite leave to remain’) for the last 12 months, you will be eligible to apply for British citizenship through naturalisation.

 

If you’re from within the EEA, you can apply for British citizenship through naturalisation if you’ve had a permanent residence status for the last 12 months – you will be required to provide a permanent residence document for this.

 

In the UK, you are eligible to hold dual citizenship (also known as dual nationality), however, there are a number of countries who do not accept dual nationality so we highly encourage you to check the law in your country of origin before you apply for naturalisation.

 

Once your application to become a British citizen has been granted, you will be permitted to live and work in the UK free of any immigration controls, which means that you will also be allowed to now apply for a British passport.

 

British passports are issued by the UK’s government’s Identity and Passport Service (IPS) and all applicants who are over the age of 16 must attend an interview with the IPS to confirm your identity. Currently, the IPS recommends that you allow yourself a minimum of 6 weeks before your travel date for your passport application to be processed and for you to be issued with a British passport. In addition to this, we also recommend that you do not make any travel arrangements before you receive your passport, however, there is a fast-track one-week services and premium one-day service available that we can arrange for you. If you’re a British citizen, we highly recommend that you apply for a British passport as it will allow you to fly to over 173 countries without acquiring a visa beforehand.

 

Shamima is highly experienced when it comes to making naturalisation applications as she has the most up-to-date knowledge and has a successful track record of naturalisation applications. She understands that every case is unique and therefore, she will give you the most appropriate advice according to your circumstances, which will allow her to make your application process as smooth as possible.