If foreigners want to become British citizens, naturalisation is one of the most common ways for them to become British citizens. However, it is challenging and complex for a foreign individual to apply for British citizenship through naturalisation. If you know the required documents and the application process, it will be helpful to get your British citizenship. In this article, we will show you a complete guide on how to complete your 2023 British citizenship application.
Eligibility to have British citizenship
If you wish to acquire British citizenship by naturalisation, you must live in the UK for five years. And you must be over 18 and have sufficient knowledge of English, good character and a passed UK test. In addition, you must have one of the following documents in the past 12 months:
- Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
- Indefinite leave to remain under the EU settlement scheme.
- Unlimited leave to enter the UK.
British citizenship requirements
Before you start applying for UK citizenship, you must prepare the following documents:
Prove how long you have lived and worked in the UK
You must provide proof that you were in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland at least 10 years before the application date. You must provide the living and employment situation, including your previous and current address. Besides, if you stay out of the UK, you must provide the time, length, and the reason for your leaving.
Current valid passport
You must provide your current original passport and other valid visas you hold. Keep in mind that a photocopy of your passport is not accepted.
BRP card
You must provide a valid biometric residence permit when applying for British citizenship. It is a UK document issued by the Home Office if you have lived in the UK for more than 6 months. It can prove your identity and contain detailed information, such as pictures, fingerprints and immigration status. In addition, this can show evidence of your freedom from immigration time restrictions.
Pass Life Test in the UK
Before applying for UK citizenship, you must provide a life test certificate. You will be asked to answer 24 questions about UK laws, legal system, British culture, traditions, customs and working details. It is up to you to do the test as you wish, but you must pay a fee of £50. each time. After passing the exam, you will receive a test reference number or certificate. Of course, if you don’t want to waste your money, you can pass the test by studying the official handbook on GOV.UK or practicing on an app. Not all applicants need to pass the life test. You can skip the UK test if you are under 18 or over 65, or if you have a physical or mental problem. In addition, it is impossible to pass the test if you have a learning disability or brain injury. You need to provide a doctor’s confirmation.
Proof of your English language
You must show proof of proficiency in English. You have a valid degree that was taught in English or in the UK. Or you have completed the tests with the approved test provider: Pearson, IELTS SELT Consortium, LanguageCert and Trinity College London. It is required to pass an English language test at a higher level and demonstrate a greater understanding of British values.
Of course, if you are from a language -exempt country, such as the U.S. and Canada, you don’t have to show proof of your English language. By the way, if you’re under 18 or over 65, or have a mental condition, you might not have to either.
Image Source: UK Immigration Centre
Check that you are of a “good character’.
The Home Office needs to check if you have a good and honest character. For example, you don’t have a problem with bankruptcy or breaking the law. You must ensure that you do not have any of the following situations:
- Unpaid taxes
- An NHS debt
- Declared bankrupt
- Serious or recent criminal record
- Working or claiming public funds without permission
If you think you will have the above problems when you try to prove your good character, it is difficult for you to go through your citizenship application.
2 referees
While applying for UK citizenship, you must provide the names and personal details of two referees to prove your identity. These people must have known you for three years. However, they cannot be your relatives, lawyers or agents, or employees of the Home Office. They have not had a criminal conviction in the last 10 years. There are a number of qualified referees available, such as a civil servant of any nationality, a British passport holder over 25 and acceptable professional persons.
Before applying for UK citizenship, it is important to be honest and include anything relevant to your application. If the Home Office finds something missing or wrong, your application will be rejected and you can’t get your money back. What’s more, the Home Office may refuse you to apply for UK citizenship again for 10 years, if they decide you lied about your application.
How to apply for British citizenship
Once you have the necessary data in hand, it’s time for you to apply for British citizenship as soon as possible. Here you can follow the steps below.
Complete the application form
You can apply online by completing your application form. After that, you will get a list of supporting documents that you need to provide according to your personal situation, such as your partner.
If you are living in the Channel Islands, Isle of Man or a British Overseas territory, you must apply by post or in person. You must complete a paper form and prepare copies of supporting documents before sending them by registered delivery.
Pay for the application fee
After completing the online application, you will receive a confirmation email about your payment. You must pay the citizenship application fee. After you have paid for it, you won’t get a copy of the payment receipt, but you can take the email as proof of payment.
Submit your required documents
After completing the online application, you must submit your scanned documents on the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) website. Pay attention to the size and number of documents required. However, if you are applying for UK citizenship on a paper form, you must submit your original documents with your application.
Make an appointment at UKVCAS
You will receive an email to book an appointment for your biometric information taken, such as photographs and fingerprints. And there are two types of appointments available:
- Paid service appoinment
You can choose this paid appointment by paying a fee of ￡70, and you can scan the documents on the scheduled date instead of submitting the scanned documents online.
- Free appointment
Of course, you can choose a free appointment. But these free appointments are usually welcomed and booked quickly. It’s better for you to book a few weeks or months in advance. Book an appointment between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on business days at one of the core Service Points, such as Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.
Have your biometrics been taken
For the appointment, you must print and bring the confirmation letter you received in the email. In addition, you must take all original documents to allow the officer to double-check your information. Then you can wait for the officer to take your fingerprint, picture and digital signature.
Attend your citizenship ceremony
The last step is to attend your citizenship ceremony. You will receive a decision letter after your application stating that you must attend your citizenship ceremony. First, you need to book your ceremony with the local authority. At the ceremony, you must take your oath of allegiance and pledge to obey UK laws and respect the rights of UK citizens. After that, you will be granted British citizenship.
How long does it take to acquire British citizenship?
Usually, the process for obtaining British citizenship is within 6 months. At present, however, the backlog of applications appears to be due to the increased demand for citizenship and the shortage of staff. Your application may be delayed. The Home Office also provides citizenship support programs to address this issue
How much is the application fee?
According to the new citizenship rules, the adult application fee will increase to £1,520 for adults and £1,012 for children in December 2023. In addition, if you are an adult, you need to pay £50 for the Life in the UK Test and £150 for an English test.
Other ways to obtain British citizenship
According to GOV.UK, naturalisation is not the only way to become a British citizen. There are other ways for you to get UK citizenship automatically:
by birth
You can automatically obtain British citizenship by birth if you were born after 1 January 1983 and one of your parents is a British citizen living in the British Isles or Falkland Islands. However, if you were born after 13 January 2010, one of your parents must have been a member of the British Armed Forces at the time of your birth.
by descent
If you were born abroad before 1983 and have a parent who obtained citizenship by birth, naturalisation, registration and adoption, you can obtain British citizenship from your parents. However, if you were born after 1983, you can only obtain British citizenship through your married parents and your father obtained British citizenship in other ways than by descent.
by registration
Only specific individuals who have some connection to the British Isles can hold British citizenship through registration. Compared to naturalization, it is the best and most common way for 18-year-olds to obtain citizenship.
by adoption
You can obtain UK citizenship through adoption if your parent has a valid UK citizenship. And adoption must be legalized by a court in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, on or after 1 January 1983, in other British Overseas Territories on or after 21 May 2002, or under the 1983 Hagur Convention on Intercountry Adoption which was in force on or after 1 June 2003.
Can dual citizenship be granted?
Yes. It is allowed to have dual citizenship in the UK. This means that if you are dual citizens of the United Kingdom and the United States, you can still get a UK passport.
How to apply for UK citizenship for children?
You must apply separately for your child. When your child is under the age of 18, you can click “register” to apply for British citizenship. The application process is easier because they don’t need to pass the Life in the UK test, prove their knowledge of English and do the citizenship ceremony.
Conclusion
It will be more difficult to apply for UK citizenship, ase application fee has increased and the length of stay has been extended. If you want to apply for UK citizenship, you’d better start as soon as possible. If you have any questions, leave the comments below.
Erin Lo