citizenship and traveling

hi all,

i would like to travel in july to see my family and attend a wedding . i am eligible to apply for citizenship in the  end of june.

i read somewhere that one cant travel straight after   applying for citizenship  and that one should wait 2 weeks .

is that correct 2 weeks? do they ring to varify your application?

 (my holiday is 2 weeks max)

thanks !

I don't think it's two weeks. I think it's just a couple of days after you go through NCS. (I'm assuming that's what you'll be doing as you want to travel while the application is considered.) Five business days after the appointment would probably be more than enough.

yes , i would most probably go through the ncs.

cheers for that!!!
thanks mort!

I was just wondering this as well. If you travel whilst your application is being considered, do they count those days out of the country as well? Or does it only go by what is on the actual application?

I was just wondering this as well. If you travel whilst your application is being considered, do they count those days out of the country as well? Or does it only go by what is on the actual application?

Your 3-year qualifying period ends on the date that UKBA in Liverpool receive your application. So absenses from the UK after that have no effect whatsoever. (Except you do need to attend your Citizenship Ceremony within 3 months of the "application successful" letter being issued!)

You need to ensure that you were in the UK at the beginning of your qualifying period, and UKBA also say that you need to be in the UK at the end of your qualifying period ... when it arrives in Liverpool!

If submitting via NCS, ask them for the tracking number on the Special Delivery envelope they will use that day, to send everything to Liverpool. That Special Delivery envelope will no doubt arrive the next business day, and you should be able to track that on the Royal Mail website. After that you are free to leave the UK, for example to go to Italy.

Your 3-year qualifying period ends on the date that UKBA in Liverpool receive your application. So absenses from the UK after that have no effect whatsoever.

That's really interesting!  In the US when I was applying for my naturalization the equivalent "qualifying period" ended on the day you attended your citizenship ceremony so at every step of the way (application, interview, and the day of the actual ceremony!) they asked you if you had been out of the US since the last step.  If you were close to the number of days outside the country you had to be really careful not to go over during the process as you had to meet all the requirements until the very moment you spoke the oath of allegiance. Sorry, random factoid! Glad I won't have to worry about it for UK citizenship, though.

i learn sth new everyday! thanks jon!

That's really interesting!  In the US when I was applying for my naturalization the equivalent "qualifying period" ended on the day you attended your citizenship ceremony so at every step of the way (application, interview, and the day of the actual ceremony!) they asked you if you had been out of the US since the last step.  If you were close to the number of days outside the country you had to be really careful not to go over during the process as you had to meet all the requirements until the very moment you spoke the oath of allegiance. Sorry, random factoid! Glad I won't have to worry about it for UK citizenship, though.

Yep totally true, I didn't give it much thought when I went to the UK in Sept 08 for 3 weeks total out of the USA.  I applied for Citizenship in May 08 and they gave me an appointment to interview me in the middle of my Vacation so I had to write back and ask for a new appointment which I ended up having the day we flew back in to the USA.  While I was being interviewed I was asked if I had left the country since I applied and said yes, handed her my flight stubs and passport, she commented that this trip would be added to my total days outside of the country and she also said that I need to let them know if I leave the country again before the Oath Ceremony (as it happened she had a slot that afternoon and I became a US Citizen that very same day).  Whew......Lucky I was under in respect to days outside the country, I hadn't even thought it was a big deal but it was.   Good to know that the UK process is different.

Your 3-year qualifying period ends on the date that UKBA in Liverpool receive your application.

This is something you need to bear in mind if you apply from outside of the UK, as even if you do that, the qualifying period is still the date the application is received in Liverpool.

I have a client who applied for naturalisation from the British Consulate in Islamabad.  At the the time he applied he met the criteria.  Islamabad didn't send off his application to Liverpool for three months, and by the time they received it he had been out of the UK too long and was refused.  Ouch.

Vicky

I have just booked my appointment for the NCS and the earliest appointment they had was May the 19th. I have a holiday booked for the 27th of May. Would this be ok, or should I move my holiday by a week. Do they go by the day they sign for your application, or they day they actually open it and say they have received it? Thanks in advance, this whole thing is wrecking my nerves.

It goes by the date it is received in Liverpool.  So you need a committment that the NCS will send it in time, and trust them to do so.  if you are that worried you can always by pass NCS and send it yourself, so you know when it would be received and would have evidence of this in the form of the recorded delivery slip.

Vicky

It goes by the date it is received in Liverpool.  So you need a committment that the NCS will send it in time, and trust them to do so.  if you are that worried you can always by pass NCS and send it yourself, so you know when it would be received and would have evidence of this in the form of the recorded delivery slip.

Vicky

Vicky, don't they need to send the passport if they are sending it themselves? That would make the whole holiday question moot, I think. Or would a certified copy do?

A certified copy will do.

Vicky