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British Citizenship Application
At Advantage Solicitors, we understand that the Indefinite Leave to Remain process can be complex and challenging. From assessing your eligibility and preparing the necessary supporting documents to submitting your application and tracking its progress, our experienced immigration solicitors will guide you every step of the way to ensure your application is smooth and successful.
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British Citizenship Application Overview
Depending on your situation, there are different ways that you may apply for British citizenship. You also may be eligible to apply for British citizenship in more than one way, which allows you to choose what method you want to apply for.
- There are 3 ways to attain a British citizenship:
- Naturalisation
- Registration
- Automatic Acquisition
- There are main 4 criteria that can permit you to apply for a British citizenship:
- If you were born in the UK
- If you are married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen
- If you have indefinite leave to remain (ILR)
- If you have settled status under the EU Settlement SchemeIf you were born in the UK
- If you are married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen
- If you have indefinite leave to remain (ILR)
- If you have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
- If you were born in the UK
- If you are married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen
- If you have indefinite leave to remain (ILR)
- If you have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
- You have a British parent
- You have another type of British nationality
- You are stateless
- You gave up your citizenship previously
- You are a Chagossian descendant
- If you’re a commonwealth citizen:
- You may be eligible to apply for the citizenship under the Windrush Scheme if both you or your parents arrived in the UK before 1973 and you not been outside the UK for more than 2 years since
- If your parent(s) arrived in the UK before 1973, you must have either been born in the UK or arrived in the UK before you were 18
Criteria to obtain British citizenship by Naturalisation
There are multiple requirements for one to become a naturalised British citizen:
- You must be older than 18 years and
- You must have held an indefinite leave to remain for 1-year minimum or
- You must have held an EU Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme for 1-year minimum or
- Be married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen and lived in the UK for 3-years minimum
In addition to the above requirements and the specific circumstances that may make you eligible to apply for British citizenship, the minimum standard that any person must satisfy is as follows:
- You must be of good character
- You must have good English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic language skills
- You must take and pass the Life in the UK test
- If your application is granted, you must have the purpose to stay in the UK as a permanent resident
If you are married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen
- To apply for British citizenship under the spouse or civil partner of a British citizen you must satisfy the follow requirements:
- You must have lived in the UK for the last 3 years and during those 3 years you must have not left the UK for more than 270 days
- You must not have left the UK for more than 90 days during the last 12 months before the application
- You must not have breached any immigration laws during the 3 years that you were living in the UK
- You must not be subject to any time limitation for which you must leave the UK in the 12 months subsequent to the application
- Have either:
- Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or
- Settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
If you are not married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen
To be eligible to apply for naturalisation if you are not married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen, you must fulfil certain requirements:
- You must have lived in the UK for at least 5 years before you apply
- You must not have left the UK for more than 450 days during the 5 years that you lived in the UK
- You must not have breached any immigration laws during the 5 years you were living in the UK
- You must not be subject to any time limitation for which you must leave the UK in the 12 months subsequent to the application
Criteria to attain British citizenship by Registration
If you were born in the UK
If you were born in the UK, you do not automatically get British citizenship as it depends on when you were born and your parents’ circumstances.
There are different rules that apply depending on your parent’s status at the time of birth:
- If one of your parents was a British or Irish citizen,
- if one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country or
- if neither of your parents was a British, Irish, EU or EEA citizen
- If the parent that meets these conditions is your father, he must have been married to your mother when you were born.
Depending on your parent’s status and the time that you were born, there will be different rules that apply to you.
- Between 1 January 1983 and 1 October 2000
If at least one of your parents was either a British citizen or an Irish citizen living in the UK when you were born
If at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country when you were born and was both a citizen of a country that was in the EU or EEA at the time and living in the UK with free movement rights, then you may be eligible British citizenship by automatic acquisition
If your parents were not British, Irish, EU or EEA citizens when you were born and had either indefinite leave to remain, right of abode or right of re-admission then you will be automatically granted British citizenship.
- Between 2 October 2000 and 29 April 2006
If at least one of your parents was a British citizen or Irish citizen living in the UK when you were born, then you will be a British citizen.
If at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country when you were born and the following applied: had citizenship of a country that was in the EU or EEA at the time, lived in the UK and has indefinite leave to remain or right of abode or right of re-admission you are granted automatic British citizenship.
If your parents were not British, Irish, EU or EEA citizens when you were born and had either indefinite leave to remain, right of abode or right of re-admission then you will be automatically granted British citizenship
- Between 30 April 2006 and 30 June 2021
If at least one of your parents was a British citizen or Irish citizen living in the UK when you were born, then you will be a British citizen June 2021
If at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country when you were born and the following applied: had citizenship of a country that was in the EU or EEA at the time, lived in the UK and has indefinite leave to remain or right of abode or right of re-admission you are granted automatic British citizenship.
If your parents were not British, Irish, EU or EEA citizens when you were born and had either indefinite leave to remain, right of abode or right of re-admission then you will be automatically granted British citizenship
- After 30 June 2021
If at least one of your parents was a British citizen or Irish citizen living in the UK when you were born, then you will be a British citizen June 2021
If at least one of your parents was a citizen of an EU or EEA country when you were born and the following applied: had citizenship of a country that was in the EU or EEA at the time, lived in the UK and has indefinite leave to remain or right of abode or right of re-admission you are granted automatic British citizenship.
If your parents were not British, Irish, EU or EEA citizens when you were born and had either indefinite leave to remain, right of abode or right of re-admission then you will be automatically granted British citizenship
Criteria to attain British citizenship by Automatic Acquisition
If you are born before the 1 January 1983 then you will be granted British citizenship automatically unless your father was either:
- A diplomat working for a foreign country
- An enemy alien in occupation (only applies to those whose fathers were in the Channel Islands during World War 2 when they were born)
If you were born on or after 1st January 1983 then you may be eligible to apply for a British citizenship if you are under 18 and one of your parents has become a British citizen or got permission to stay in the UK permanently after your birth or if you have lived in the UK since your birth until you were 10 years old or older.
If you were adopted by a British citizen in a UK court, then you are automatically a British citizen.
If at least one of your parents was part of the UK armed forced and you were born after 12 January 2010 then you are eligible for automatic British citizenship.
Fees
The fee for the application for British naturalisation, which is the disbursement fee paid to the Home Office can range from £1,500. There is an additional cost of for the citizenship ceremony.
Applying for British Citizenship?
If you are planning to apply for British Citizenship, our experienced immigration solicitors are here to assist you every step of the way.
From eligibility checks to application preparation, we ensure your case is handled with precision and care.
Please fill in the form below and a member of our team will contact you shortly to guide you through the process.
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