VISA to citizenship?

Well, I honestly don't know much about anything at all when it comes to VISAs [for why i am here =)], but if I got a VISA for however long I got it [5 years or w.e you get them for].. do you have to actually be living there with it? Or could I get one and still be in the USN stationed somewhere else and that VISA count towards the amount of time I've been living there.

Since that didn't make much sense - let me elaborate.

I know that you have to live in the UK for a minimum of 5 years or so before you can qualify for citizenship or something like that. Let's say I got a VISA: does the length of the VISA count towards the amount of time I've been there? Or do I actually have to be living there?

So I couldn't get my VISA then leave for a year and a half and that year and a half count towards the amount of time I have lived in the UK?

This is probably a no - but hey, that's why I'm asking.

It would just be neat to be steps closer to citizenship while I'm in the service here - so I don't have to wait even longer after I am out of the Navy here.

Thank you!

Sorry to say this, but your post really makes no sense. 

No idea of what visa you may have, how long you may be in the UK, anything really.

Vicky

There are many different types of visas. Some lead to citizenship. Some don't. Those that do, have different residency requirements for citizenship. If you want to know what options are available to you, there are too many to list frankly, so you can start by searching through this forum or browsing the UKBA website. Very roughly, though, they fall into three groups: employment-related, student (and post-graduation)-related and family-formation. And tourist also, but that does not, I believe, lead to settlement.

And you can write "visa" in sentence case. It's a word, not an acronym so every letter doesn't need to be capitalized. 

OK - I gotcha now.. Thanks for the help. Sorry I'm extremely oblivious to all this, lolz.

..and yes, visa - got it. =P

The 5-year time period that I mentioned to you in another post was specifically for EEA citizens living in the UK - it has nothing to do with having a visa (because, EEA citizens do not need a visa to move within EEA countries).

First off, you are going to need to work out what citizenship you are currently eligible for, before you can think about visas or citizenship. If you do indeed qualify for German citizenship (as you mentioned you were born in Germany), then you will not need to worry about getting a visa to live in the UK at all, since, as a German citizen, you are legally allowed to live in the UK with just a German passport.

However, if you find that you cannot claim German citizenship (as Germany's rules for it seem quite complicated, especially if neither of your parents are German), then you would have to think about getting a visa for the UK as a US citizen and you will not have the benefit of having a German passport.

Main visa options for the UK are:

- marriage to a British citizen (takes 3 years to get citizenship)

- work permit/highly skilled work visa (permits are extremely difficult to get as the company has to prove that no one in the UK or EU can do the job - that's 500 million people and highly skilled visas are have very specific criteria) (takes 5-6 years to get citizenship)

- student visa (cannot get citizenship with this one - have to return to US after studies unless you can qualify for another visa afterwards)

- visitor visa (cannot get citizenship. can only spend a maximum of 6 months in the UK on it)

But to answer what I think you're asking in the OP: no, you basically have to be living in the UK for the entire time on your visa in order to qualify for citizenship. Of course, you may be able to spend some time outside of the UK during the visa period, but the longer you are away, the less likely you are to meet the residency requirements for citizenship (which are that you can't have been outside the UK for more than an average of 90 days per year, and no more than 90 days in the last year before you apply for citizenship.

However, it's a little early to be thinking about getting citizenship since you don't even know if you will be able to get a visa (or claim EEA citizenship, since I'm not sure about whether you are actually eligible) to move to the UK to start with yet.

Hiya,

I found this for you on the German (London) consulate website:

Main features of the new legislation

Acquisition of German citizenship by the fact of being born in Germany

Children who are born in Germany to foreign nationals will receive German citizenship when one of the respective child's parents has resided lawfully in Germany for at least eight years and holds entitlement to residence or has had an unlimited residence permit for at least three years. Under the new law, such children acquire German citizenship at birth. In most cases, they will also acquire their parents' citizenship under the principle of descent (depending upon the other country's laws). For this reason, such children will have to decide within five years of turning 18 – in other words, before their 23rd birthday – whether they want to retain their German citizenship or their other citizenship. They must opt for one of their two nationalities (which is why this is called the requirement to opt):

    * In the event that they declare that they want to retain their foreign citizenship, they lose their German citizenship. This is also the case when such a child does not make any statement to the authorities before his 23rd birthday.
    * Should the respective individual decide to keep his German citizenship, he has to provide proof before his 23rd birthday that he has lost his other citizenship. Exceptions are possible, particularly when renouncement of the other citizenship is not possible or would be unreasonable

So, it sounds like you can't be dual. However, I know someone who has dual US-German citizenship, as his mother is German, father American. Apparently the laws are different for descent.

You'd also have to find out if your father being stationed there qualifies as 'lawfully resided for at least 8 years', how long was he stationed there? And I'm not sure if they expect the foreign national parent to have to still be residing in Germany at the time you make your application.

As far as UK visas, you may be able to get a work visa through the Navy if you are stationed at a naval base in the UK, in which case this could potentially lead to settlement. But I'm not certain of this....

Also, I wonder whether the Navy would pay for you to study at a University in the UK? I know that FAFSA loans can be used toward several major UK universities, if that's any indication of how far the US government is willing to extend its hand... This would mean a student visa...

Whatever you do, keep your positive attitude, and good luck with everything.

Diana

Hiya,

I found this for you on the German (London) consulate website:

Main features of the new legislation

Acquisition of German citizenship by the fact of being born in Germany...

This was covered the previous thread he started.

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=49868.0

Sorry 'bout that.  If the previous post by ksand24 is accurate info, then, it looks like German citizenship is out.

Diana