British Citizenship - Naturalization

British Citizenship – Naturalization

Once the applicant has settled status i.e. Indefinite leave to remain under the immigration rules or permanent residence under the EEA regulations or Settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, he may make his application to be naturalized as a British citizen.

Time Frame for making British Citizenship Application

The applicant must have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and have had Indefinite leave to remain under the Immigration rules or permanent residence under the EEA regulations or Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme for at least 12 months prior to making this application.

If the applicant is married to a British citizen then the time period is reduced to 3 years from 5 years.

Requirements of British Citizenship

The applicant must fulfil the following requirements:

He must be at least 18 years of age

He must be of sound mind

He must meet the residence requirements

He must meet the Good Character Requirement

He must have passed life in the UK certificate and have qualification in English language of B1 level, at least or an acceptable degree from a recognized Educational establishment meeting the English language criteria or must be a national of an English speaking country

Residence Requirements of British Citizenship Application

If the applicant is not married to a British citizen, he must not have absences of more than 450 days in the last 5 years including not more than 90 days in the last 12 months, from the date of application.

If the applicant is married to a British citizen, he must not have absences of more than 270 days in the last 3 years including not more than 90 days in the last 12 months, from the date of application. The Secretary of State however enjoys wide discretion in allowing prolonged absences of the applicant in certain circumstances.

Good Character Requirement of British Citizenship Application

The applicant must be able to demonstrate that he is a person of good character and have shown respect for the rights and freedoms of the UK and have observed it’s laws and fulfilled your duties and obligations as a resident of the UK. The Home office shall carry out criminal record checks on all applicants of British citizenship. If the applicant has a conviction in the UK or overseas then depending on the length of sentence, he may have to wait for a certain period of time or may not be eligible for citizenship at all, if he was given a sentence of 4 years of imprisonment or more. If the applicant has used deceptive measures in his dealings with the Home office, he may be placed on a 10 year ban from the date he used deception. A 10 year ban is also applicable if the applicant has made illegal entry in the UK or evaded immigration control or abused life in the UK test process.

The Home office also routinely checks records with HMRC to see whether the applicant has worked in the UK in breach of the immigration conditions attached to his visa, in the last 10 years.

English Language Knowledge

You can prove English language requirements by having either:

an English qualification at B1 level

a degree taught or researched in English

national of an English-speaking country

The requirement of English Language knowledge is exempt in cases when applicants are aged 65 or over or is unable to due to disabilities or is a citizen of countries that are exempt from.

Life in the UK Test

If the applicant has not passed Life in the UK test in his ILR application he would need one for British citizenship application. The applicants over 65 years of age are exempt from this requirement.

Reconsideration of refusal of British Citizenship

The applicant may make an application to the Home office to reconsider the decision of refusing British citizenship application, provided there are good grounds to make this application.

Judicial Review to Challenge Refusal of British Citizenship Application

If the British citizenship application is refused by the Home office, the applicant may lodge judicial review proceedings in the high court provided there are good grounds to challenge the decision. Please read more about Judicial review procedure in our Judicial review section.

Why Chauhan Solicitors?

We are a city law firm, specialising in UK Immigration matters. We are located in Central London and South West London (Tooting), therefore conveniently accessible to Londoners and clients in other parts of the UK. Moreover since all the UK immigration Applications can be submitted online, it has become easier for us to take instructions from anywhere in the world.

According to our clients, we are one of the Best Immigration Solicitors in London. We invite you to view our online reviews shown below that would allow you make an informed choice when instructing on of the best immigration solicitors of London to represent you.

How We Can Help You?

No two immigration matters can be the same. We have a tailor make solution for every immigration matter and in order to achieve the best outcome we follow a strict strategy i.e.

A) Assessment of your Immigration Matter: We carefully asses merits of your intended visa application, further leave to remain, immigration appeal, Judicial Review or any other immigration matter, as the case may be.

B) Immigration Advice: Upon assessment of your matter, we advise you on the most appropriate way forward by keeping in view your personal circumstances and the relevant law.

C) Engagement of Our Immigration Services: Once engaged, we shall provide you with a comprehensive list of documents / information required for preparing your immigration application, immigration appeal, Immigration Judicial Review and Administrative Review, as the case may be.

D) Review of Information and Documents: We then very carefully review the requested documentation and information and make sure that your application etc. is aligned with the relevant laws. In immigration appeal or Judicial Review matters, we discuss suitability of the immigration barristers for the particular matters.

E) Representations: We believe that for any successful UK visa application, leave to remain application, UK immigration appeals, immigration Judicial Review or Admin Review, it is pivotal that you are thoroughly & efficaciously represented. For the same reasons, we very carefully draft your covering letters, Grounds of Appeal, Grounds of Judicial Review or Skeleton Arguments etc in order to conclude your immigration matters successfully.

F) Follow-up: Once the immigration matter is submitted or filed, when & where necessary, we keep tabs on the Home office or the Immigration Tribunals and update you accordingly.

G) Outcome of your Immigration Matter: The outcome of the matter is followed with a need of further advice in respect of making a further application in the future or complying with a list of do’s and don'ts. Our team of best immigration solicitors take care of that diligently.

We believe in giving honest & unparalleled advice to you. We work in complete confidence, as your partners, in sorting out your immigration matters. We have teamed up with the best immigration barristers who specialise in UK Immigration Laws and are well equipped to represent you in any complex immigration matter. Our 5 star reviews vouch for our legal competence, vast knowledge and diligent work attitude.

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