Achieving British citizenship can be the culmination of many years of hard work and planning. Success depends on navigating a long, often complicated, set of processes and procedures – a path where one wrong move can leave you back at the start. Walking that path alone can be frustrating and leave you floundering. Ultimately you risk being denied citizenship, which can be devastating for you and your loved ones. Want to give your chance of a positive outcome the biggest possible boost? If you’re looking for a solicitor for British citizenship application, our team can help.
At A Y & J Solicitors in London, we’ve helped thousands of business owners and career professionals around the world to gain British citizenship. We know the hazards that cause applications to fail and how to safely get past them. We resolve issues before your paperwork is sent for approval, heading any objections off at the pass. Let an A Y & J British citizenship lawyer take the pressure away and make sure your application has the greatest possible chance of success.
Abida Ali
We are specialists in immigration law and have supported more than 4,000 business owners and professionals around the globe to successfully navigate the British system. We work quickly, always responding to any queries within 24 working hours. And we work closely with the Home Office to pre-empt issues before they jeopardise sponsorship applications or breach compliance. We manage all United Kingdom immigration matters, including visa applications under the new points-based immigration system, Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), Spouse Visas, nationality and more. We also handle complex cases of appeal, administrative reviews, judicial reviews and the many immigration challenges involving European Union law and human rights.
A Y & J Solicitors has more than 1,200 positive client reviews across Google and Trustpilot and is listed in The Legal top 500 best UK law firms, so you can rest assured your immigration challenges are in safe hands when you take these three simple steps:
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You must meet the following criteria:
Nationality from an English-speaking country
OR an accepted English language degree
OR you have successfully passed an accredited English language test
To meet the continuous residency requirements, you need to show that you have lived in the UK for at least five years and during that time:
If you were born in the United Kingdom before 1 January 1983, you would be a British citizen by birth. If you were born inside the United Kingdom after 1 January 1983, you would be a British citizen by birth if at least one of your parents was a British citizen or settled in the UK when you were born.
A British citizen by descent is someone who was registered as a British citizen or who was born outside the UK to a British parent. If a British citizen by descent’s child is born overseas, they cannot normally pass their citizenship directly on, they may need to register the child for British citizenship, if eligible. If the other parent is a British citizen otherwise than by descent, for example, someone British by birth, naturalisation or adoption, then that parent should be able to pass their citizenship directly on to the child.
You will need to provide the following documents with your application (this is not an exhaustive list):
This depends on the basis of the claim to British citizenship. In some cases, you may need to provide evidence of residency in the UK.
Yes, British laws allow all citizens to hold another nationality or nationalities.
The Home Office fee for naturalisation is £1,330 (including the £80 British citizenship fee). The biometric enrolment fee is £19.20.
The Home Office fee for adult registration is £1,206 (including the £80 British citizenship fee). The biometric enrolment fee is £19.20.
The Home Office fee for child registration is £1,012 (an additional £80 British citizenship fee would be charged if the minor turned 18 during the application process).
There are no priority services available for naturalisation.
To complete the process of becoming a British citizen, you will need to attend a citizenship ceremony. At the ceremony, you will take an oath or affirmation of allegiance to the Crown and a pledge of loyalty to the United Kingdom. This is a formal promise to His Majesty the King and the United Kingdom. Once you have taken the oath and given the pledge, you will be presented with your certificate of British citizenship, which is the legal evidence that you are a British citizen.
The cost of the Citizenship Ceremony is £80, which is paid when you submit your application for British Citizenship.
You must bring a copy of the Citizenship ceremony invitation to the ceremony. If you do not, your ceremony will be postponed. You must also bring photo ID to the ceremony, as the registrar may ask to see this.
Whether you can become a British citizen depends on your circumstances. There may be more than one way for you to apply and if this is the case, you can choose which route to use.
Spouses of British citizens can apply for naturalisation having resided in the UK for three years if:
You may also be eligible to apply for British citizenship if:
If you are a Commonwealth citizen, you may qualify for British citizenship under the Windrush scheme if:
Overseas applicants can now apply online. You will need to fill out an online form and answer all questions that are relevant to your application. You can edit and download the application before it is submitted. Our team can provide you with advice on the best options available to you and your family.
One referee must be a person of any nationality who is a professional, such as a doctor or minister of religion. A lawyer can act as a referee, but this must not be the person representing you in your application. The second referee must be a British citizen and also either a Professional Person or over 25 years old.
It may be possible for adults to register as a British citizen on the following basis:-
Adults and children may be eligible to register if:
A non-British child (under 18) may become eligible to register as a British citizen if they were born in the United Kingdom and one of their parents has been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain/Settled status.
A non-British child born outside the UK to a parent who has been granted ILR may also be able to apply for registration in limited circumstances.
The application can take as long as six months to move through the system but applications are often decided much sooner. Once approved, you will receive your approval letter and shortly after will receive a citizenship invitation letter. You will need to arrange a citizenship ceremony at your local registry office as soon as possible. Ceremonies are subject to availability. You will only become a British citizen once you have attended your ceremony and received your certificate of naturalisation. You can apply for your first British passport once the process of naturalisation is complete.
Once you have submitted your application and paid the relevant fee, you will have a unique reference number for your application. This reference will also be used when you upload your supporting documents and enrol biometric data. However, it is not normally possible to track your application directly. If any additional documents are required, the Home Office caseworker will contact you in writing. If the application falls outside the normal service standard, you should receive an email confirming this. When your application is decided, you will receive an email confirming the decision.
There are many advantages to becoming a British citizen. One of the most important is the emotional peace of mind of knowing you have as much right to remain in the UK as a person who was born here, regardless of future government policies.
Others include:
The application form for British citizenship depends on the type of citizenship application you are making. Most British citizenship applications are processed online. As an applicant, you should check the type of citizenship application you require and then complete the form online. Payment would also be processed online and you would be able to access a different portal to upload supporting documents and book a biometric appointment.
Form AN is the correct form for naturalisation and form MN1 is the correct form to register a child.
You will need to:-
The application for British citizenship by naturalisation is the application process overseas nationals undertake to become a full citizen of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. All naturalisation applications made to the government are considered on a discretionary basis, which means that, although the requirements to be met for naturalisation are written in the law, no applicant is considered to have the “right” to citizenship by virtue of meeting these requirements. The requirements for naturalisation are clearly defined, but each and every case will be considered individually.
Marriage to a British citizen does not qualify you directly for British citizenship. To qualify for British citizenship, you must also have been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain, whether that ILR status was granted on the basis of a spousal visa or on another immigration route. In addition to being married to a British citizen and holding ILR status, you must have also resided in the UK for three years prior to your application.
You do have an option to renounce (give up) your British Citizenship or nationality. If accepted, you’ll get a ‘declaration of renunciation’ that you can use to show that you’re no longer a British citizen.
One reason why someone may choose to renounce their British citizenship is if they want to become a citizen of another country that does not allow dual citizenship.
There are only two circumstances where you can renounce your British citizenship or nationality:
The other requirements to be satisfied to renounce your British citizenship are:
The British Nationality Act 1981 is complex and very challenging. It is essential to seek expertise from a British citizenship solicitor who specializes in this very technical field of law for a successful British citizenship application. The highly qualified lawyers at A Y & J Solicitors are passionate about helping clients to gain citizenship. They take the time needed to ensure you understand the process and will assist with all the details required for the application.
Acquiring British Citizenship offers a way for EU or EEA nationals to secure their residency status in the UK permanently. It provides certainty and stability in terms of rights and benefits, ensuring individuals can continue to live and work in the UK without any restrictions.
Our team is dedicated to providing expert advice and representation to EU or EEA nationals seeking to obtain Permanent Residency status and British Citizenship. We understand the concerns and anxieties you may have and are here to guide you through the entire process, ensuring a smooth and successful application.
As a qualifying condition for naturalisation as a British citizen, you cannot have been absent from the UK for more than 90 days in the 12 months prior to your naturalisation application.
Yes, a refugee who meets the requirements can apply for British citizenship. Strict requirements apply for naturalisation, particularly with regard to prior breaches of immigration history, so the individual’s circumstances must be reviewed carefully in case their immigration history might affect their application or eligibility.
Unless you are married to a British citizen, you will need to wait 12 months from the date your ILR was granted to apply for naturalisation as a British citizen. You must also have lived in the UK for five years, prior to the application date to be eligible to apply.
Those married to British citizens can apply for naturalisation as soon as they hold ILR status. They must also have lived in the UK for three years prior to the application date to be eligible to apply.
Indefinite Leave to Remain status (ILR) grants the holder permission to stay in the UK without any time limit. Holders of ILR can live, work and study in the UK without seeking prior permission. They can access healthcare and benefits and also may qualify to sponsor certain family members to join them in the UK from overseas. Children born in the UK to those who hold ILR status would automatically be British by birth.
Notably, someone with ILR status can be deported and their ILR status revoked.
Most critically, if the ILR holder stays outside the UK continuously for two years or more, they would lose their ILR status (their status would lapse). If ILR status lapses, they may need to apply for a new visa to return to the UK. In contrast, British citizenship can be revoked under the most serious circumstances, but it cannot be lost through any period of absence from the UK.
Applications for British citizenship can be refused for many reasons. One of the most common is that the application form has been filled in incorrectly and/or the correct documentation has not been supplied.
If your application has been refused, our immigration lawyers will examine the reason why and provide expert advice on the best plan of action. This could include resubmitting the application or seeking a judicial review.
There is no statutory definition of good character and no statutory guidance on the interpretation or application of the requirement. There is, however, internal guidance to Home Office decision-makers in the form of the Nationality Guidance (NG) good character requirement, which provides information on how it is applied in practice in relation to all relevant applications for British citizenship.
Things which may lead immigration officials to believe you are not of good character include (but are not limited to):
If you believe that some aspect of your application may mean that you fail to meet the good character requirement, speak to one of our immigration lawyers.
Case study: Click here to read about how A Y & J Solicitors helped a client whose previous employer failed to pay his income tax and national insurance, threatening his settlement application.
