Meta: If you are aiming to become a British citizen and you were born outside the UK, you will need to navigate the naturalisation process. This involves meeting specific eligibility criteria.
If you don’t have British ancestry or were not born in the UK, you will have to apply for citizenship through naturalisation with the UK Home Office. As part of your application, you will need to show that you meet all the necessary requirements. Just a heads up, there is an application fee, and if your application gets denied, that money won’t be refunded, and there are no options for appeal. So, it is very important to ensure your application is perfect right from the start. In this blog post, we will discuss the eligibility requirements to help you navigate the visa process better.
Eligibility Criteria for British Citizenship Applications
Naturalisation may be applied for as a British citizen upon you satisfying the following criteria:
- Age: An applicant should be 18 years or above.
- Immigration Status: For at least 12 months, you must have held Indefinite Leave to Remain in the United Kingdom or, as an EEA national, permanent residence in the UK or EU settled status.
- Residency: You must have spent three years in the UK continuously before the application is made (the `qualifying period’). Your total number of absences from the United Kingdom for the qualifying period should not exceed 270 days. In the 12 months immediately preceding the date on which the application is made, the total absences should not exceed 90 days.
- Life in the UK and English Language Knowledge: Applicants must fulfill the language requirements as well as have passed the Life in the UK test.
- Good Character: Must satisfy good character requirements; one must not have a recent or serious criminal record.
- Intent to Reside: An intention to live in the UK permanently.
- Compliance with the UK Immigration Rules: They must be complied with for the entire qualifying period.
Residency Requirements
A British citizenship application, to be qualified for, requires one to fulfill some residency requirements. Generally, an applicant should have been resident in the UK for five years, or if one is married to a British national, three years.
During this time, the applicant must not have spent more than 450 days outside of the United Kingdom in the past five years or 270 days if married to a UK citizen.
No period outside the UK should have lasted 90 days during the past year.
More importantly, one has to have entered a settled status or hold ILR for at least 12 months before applying unless the spouse of a British citizen, in which case they can apply for naturalisation right after being granted settled status.
English Language Requirement
The English language requirement will be satisfied by executing a degree researched or taught in English or passing an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) at levels B1, B2, C2, or C1 unless exempted.
Life in the UK Test
Most citizenship applicants must pass the Life in the UK test which is a computer-based multiple-choice examination for testing knowledge of British life, politics, tradition, and customs.
It costs £50 to take the test and contains 24 multiple-choice questions concerning British values, traditions, history and everyday life. You must book online, pay the required fee, and prepare with the official handbook. A result of 75% is required to pass. You are allowed to retake in case of failure, and no limit exists on the number of retakes, but each retry requires a paid test.
If you have passed the Life in the UK test for your indefinite leave to remain application, there is no need to undertake the test again for citizenship purposes.
Good Character Requirement
It is a tricky requirement and often the basis for British citizen application refusals. Any applicant for naturalisation or registration must satisfy the good character condition unless the applicant is under the age of 10. This entails showing that you do not possess a serious or recent criminal record and have not committed immigration fraud in the 10 years prior to the application, for example, attempting to deceive the Home Office or contravening immigration laws in the UK.
The Home Office will probably check your criminal record, and consideration may also be given to any bankruptcy-related financial matters.
If you have any offences or convictions, these will most probably be taken into account to a certain extent in relation to your British citizenship application, although it will depend on various factors, including the nature of the offence or conviction. You will be required to disclose cautions, fixed penalty notices, drunk driving offences, road traffic offences, civil judgments, and civil penalties for illegal working, and if you have been declared bankrupt at any time, information concerning your bankruptcy proceedings.
British citizenship is the legal status bestowed upon persons meeting specified criteria of the United Kingdom, allowing them to enjoy the benefits of British citizenship. It carries with it an assortment of rights including the right to work and live in the UK, enjoy public services, and participate in politics.
Referees for British citizenship
Two referees must be provided when applying for British citizenship to verify a person’s identity, regardless of the grounds on which they are applying. They must sign the section of the form which confirms that the photograph attached by the applicant is a true likeness of him or her.
A referee shall be a person who has known the applicant on a personal basis for a minimum period of three years. In addition to one referee having to maintain professional standing, the other referee should be a British Passport holder who is either a professional person or in lay terms, over the age of 25.
Conclusion
Meeting the eligibility requirements will help you ace your British Citizenship application. Stay updated on the latest requirements by hiring an immigration solicitor to ensure you don’t end up with an application refusal.