British Citizenship - Waiting Time

My NCS appointment was on 6 January.  The £655 fee was charged to my credit card on 13/1 (per my online banking statement).

Today I received my UKBA letter, dated 13/1, to acknowledge receipt of my application.

For the record (as we're comparing people on the family route and application processing times), I obtained ILR via the work permit route back in April 2004.  Yes I've beaten myself up a lot for not applying for citizenship when I could have done so in April 2005, but what's done is done!

Holy moly, that was fast!

And so was mine!

08/12/2008 - NCS appointment in Warwick
22/12/2008 - letter acknowledging receipt (dated 15/12)
23/01/2009 - letter acknowledging approval!  (dated 20/12)

As with baylor, I'm supposed to get the actual invitation within two weeks.  Someone is clearing up some serious backlog at the Home Office, evidently!

Oh boy, I hope they stick to this timeline cause then maybe I can get my approval (assuming I was approved) sometime in the next two weeks. *fingers crossed.*

Mort when did you put your  application in?

Sonya and Indy

Mort when did you put your  application in?

Sonya and Indy

My NCS appointment was on Dec 15th. My ack letter was dated Dec 22nd.

Application with York NCS 28/10.
Acknowledgement posted 4/11.
Citizenship invitation (approval letter) posted 16/1 (received 22/1).
Called register office and made appointment for ceremony to take place on 6/2.


Tia and Baylor, my invitation letter from the UKBA clearly stated that I had to contract the register office within 14 days to arrange my ceremony. Are you sure that you don't have to call them first?

Question about fees - I could swear that I have read on this board that there is an additional fee for the citizenship ceremony, besides what we've already paid for the application - amongst the many rants about how much we have to pay in the process of going through immigration hurdles. When I asked the person I made the apppointment with if I had to pay anything extra, she said no. Which is correct?

Your £655 includes the fee for the ceremony...which is why, should the application have been refused, you would have got a partial refund (£50 or something paltry).

Vicky

Tia and Baylor, my invitation letter from the UKBA clearly stated that I had to contract the register office within 14 days to arrange my ceremony. Are you sure that you don't have to call them first?

From the letter:

"I am pleased to say that your Nationality application has been successful and you will shortly receive a letter inviting you to attend a citizenship ceremony. When you attend a ceremony you will be presented with a certificate of British citizenship.

Please note, this letter is not an invitation to a ceremony.  You should not contct your Local Authority until you have received your invitation.  If you have not received your invitation within 2 weeks of the above date, you should contact the Home Office on (number) to request a further copy."

I was a little surprised, to be honest - I didn't know there would be a pre-invitation letter, because I hadn't heard of such a thing from anyone here, until baylor's post.

Your £655 includes the fee for the ceremony...which is why, should the application have been refused, you would have got a partial refund (£50 or something paltry).

Vicky

Thanks Vicky.

Tia, my letter says:

"I am pleased to tell you that your application for citizenship has been approved. To complete the process of becoming a British citizen, you will be asked to attend a citizenship ceremony to receive your certificate ....

What you must do now

1. The cermony will be arranged by the Local Authority whose details are shown below. Please contact the authority using these details within 14 days of the date of this letter to book your ceremony..."

It says "Citizenship Invitation" at the top.

Tia, it looks like you applied after me. Maybe they now send out an additional letter, after you are approved but before they make any arrangements they have to with the local authority and whatever other admin stuff they need to do, to reduce the number of people calling to find out if their application was approved.

Vicky how come some of us are still waiting when we applied before some who put there applications in after? would it be wise to call to make sure our applications are being looked at and not forgotten?

It has been just over 2 months now for me and a few others are coming up 2 months.

I do not understand how they appear to take longer with some and not so long with others.

Thankyou

Indy

Tia, it looks like you applied after me.

p.s. I am TLA, not Tia. 

Maybe they now send out an additional letter, after you are approved but before they make any arrangements they have to with the local authority and whatever other admin stuff they need to do, to reduce the number of people calling to find out if their application was approved.

Maybe it depends on the Local Authority.  When I got my citizenship, my letter from the HO said something similar to TLA's.  My letter inviting me to attend a ceremony in Oxford on XXX Date arrived on the same day my letter from the HO arrived!  I then had to call the Local Authority within X number of days (I think it was 14, but can't remember for sure) to confirm that I would attend on that date or to re-schedule.

Maybe it depends on the Local Authority.  When I got my citizenship, my letter from the HO said something similar to TLA's.  My letter inviting me to attend a ceremony in Oxford on XXX Date arrived on the same day my letter from the HO arrived!  I then had to call the Local Authority within X number of days (I think it was 14, but can't remember for sure) to confirm that I would attend on that date or to re-schedule.

Ah, in fact, that would make sense, since my local authority will probably be Oxford.  (Technically my district council seat is Abingdon, but I live much much closer to Oxford city.)

Ah, in fact, that would make sense, since my local authority will probably be Oxford.  (Technically my district council seat is Abingdon, but I live much much closer to Oxford city.)

Mine too, but I think the only place they hold citizenship ceremonies in Oxfordshire is at the County Hall in Oxford.   

Hmm... Yes my letter was identical to tla's. Laughed when I got it cos I thought, "how completely appropriate to have two full paragraphs of what NOT to do next..."

It was even in bold letters. DO NOT!

And yes, family route for me too. My partner is a UK citizen and I got ILE/R effective when we moved here three years ago, so I applied literally on the first day possible after the three year deadline.

If I ever get an invite it will be Warwick were we did the paper work the lady was really nice and the room is an old court room nice but not very accessable for anyone in a wheelchair.

Indy and Sonya