Current naturalisation/citizenship waiting times

Congrats NWFamily! 

Those who got approved recently did you use the Nationality Checking Service or did you just send your application and documents in?

National Checking Service.  It's worth the £60. 

Type of application (EEA 5+1 years and dependent daughter)
I haven`t use NCS due of long time schedule which were 8 weeks in my area, therefore the application was approved in less than 8 weeks.

Application sent:             11-Feb-15
Application received:            12-Feb-15
Payment cleared:            18-Feb-15
Acknowledgement letter received:   21-Feb-15
Application approved:            25-Mar-15
Application received:            31-Mar-15 
Ceremony scheduled:            waiting for invitation from Council 

Good luck everyone who is still waiting and i encourage everyone to update their application status.

I didn't use the service. I didn't see the need.

Those who got approved recently did you use the Nationality Checking Service or did you just send your application and documents in?

And finally, it’s my turn!

Marriage to British citizen + ILR.

Submitted application:  3 March, NCS
Application received:   4 March
Payment cleared:  10/11 March
Email acknowledgement: 11 March
Acknowledgement:  received 13 March, dated 10 March
Approval letter:  received 11 April, dated 9 April
Ceremony:  23 April

Woo-hoo!  This was still fast (no complaints!) but seems to have slowed down slightly from some really super-speedy turnarounds.  Theories:  1) a glut of applications from those beating the new fees and/or applications from the last of the old-rules people (I was one of the last ILEs); 2) a short-staffed office over Easter break; and 3) the thoroughly rotten photograph in my application!  Honestly, DH and I were rolling on the floor over it.  Figured my vanity wasn’t worth another 5 pounds.

Question, though:  Is the Home Office Invitation letter sent separately?  We’re supposed to bring that to the ceremony, but it isn’t in the packet from the council.

ETA:  Right.  Just found out that the Home Office letter arrives separately.  So now I shall celebrate with a PB&J sandwich.

Blarg, my application was received 30 March, but still no payment has cleared 

This is what I get for sending my app so shortly before new changes took place. I just hope it's not indicative of a problem with my application, rather than a glut!

Don't worry.  If it's a straightforward application, just sit on your hands for a bit.  One thing I don't understand is how long it takes to inform us after the decision is made.

Now I can add to the above timeline:
Approval received from council:  11 April (dated 09 April)
but then:
Invitation letter received from Home Office: 15 April (but dated 01 [first!] April)

Now I suppose I'm entering the busy season for passport applications...

Don't fret about the passport queue, lucy w.

My passport app was signed for Tues Apr 7 (I had sent before the Easter holidays).  My card unfortunately became compromised during the hols, so payment failed.  They called me on Fri Apr 10 and took a new card number by phone.

Tues Apr 14 - received the interview invitation letter.
Wed Apr 15 - did interview. 

At the interview they stated that I should receive the passport within 10 working days.

I filled out my application on Friday and was freaking out  because I moved in August, and in that move my Life in the UK letter was misplaced. There is a phone number on the Life in the Uk website for this, and the nice man I talked with said not to worry about it, that it will by on file from my Indefinite Leave to Remain to Applicaiton.

Applied as ILR plus one year.
Application overnight mailed: 22/04/15
Delivery confirmed: 23/05/15
fees not yet taken out or acknolwedgment confirmed.

Congrats to everyone who has received their citizenship already!

1) a glut of applications from those beating the new fees and/or applications from the last of the old-rules people (I was one of the last ILEs)

lucy w...I am also under the old rules (I received my ILE in March 2012 before they changed the rules for the family path).  I arrived in July 2012 and will be applying this July for naturalization. Hopefully, they will be fairly quick but who knows...I'm not banking on it.   

Let’s hope so, kbee417.  Something else, though:  Old-rules eligibility will end in July (and shortly after for those who arrived a bit later), and new-rules eligibility won’t kick in for another two years.  So during the next two years there will be no citizenship applications based on marriage from the new arrivals.  There will still applications from those who waited and from those eligible for other reasons, but it would seem that the traffic should slow down quite a bit.  They’ll be twiddling their thumbs at the Home Office.

Let’s hope so, kbee417.  Something else, though:  Old-rules eligibility will end in July (and shortly after for those who arrived a bit later), and new-rules eligibility won’t kick in for another two years.  So during the next two years there will be no citizenship applications based on marriage from the new arrivals.  There will still applications from those who waited and from those eligible for other reasons, but it would seem that the traffic should slow down quite a bit.  They’ll be twiddling their thumbs at the Home Office.

Ah...fair point!  Perhaps the overage of workers in the event of a slow down in applications could help with the influx of new passport applications.  LOL 

My turn:

Marriage to a British citizen +ILR

Submitted application:  16 March, NCS
Application received:   17 March
Acknowledgement:  received 1 April, dated 25 March
Payment cleared: 31 March
Approval letter:  received 1 May, dated 24 April
Ceremony:  to be booked

woohoo!

Do we also get an invitation from the local city council?  The Citizenship invitation letter from the Home Office says to contact the local authority within 21 days of the letter to book.