Citizenship Application Procedure after ILR SET(M) - Reference Doc

Hello everyone!  We are getting ready to submit my wife's citizenship application.  Could someone explain how the process will impact her ability to travel abroad?  I.e. once we click submit, when can we expect that her passport will be unusable and for roughly how long?

She can travel using her US? Passport until her citizenship ceremony. She will then need to cut up and return her BRP and apply for her UK passport.


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Bump

Hi all! Recently got my citizenship - timelines are definitely still faster than the "target" 6 month.

Application submitted - 2 December 2023
Biometrics appointment - 21 December 2023 (had to pay for the appointment - they didn't have any free slots available AT ALL from what I could see, not even in January)
Acceptance email - 1 March 2024
Citizenship ceremony - 6 March 2024 (next one wasn't for 6 more weeks)

Hello,
Am just starting to get things ready to apply for British Citizenship and have quick question. For my 2 referees, is there an actual form or link I can send to my potential referees which informs them of the information I need from them, prior to starting my online application. I have found the link to the form they will eventually need to sign that will have my picture on it, but not the document that tells them the actual information I will need from them that I will have to enter into my application.  Thanks.

At the moment, the person that I am going to most likely use as my professional works as a Library Assistant. Would there be any issue with that counting as my  referees professional person. There is no clear category for Library workers, possible civil servant, but it's not clear. Thanks.

Citizenship Application after ILR SET(M) Reference Doc
Updated 26th June 2024

Any help or info to improve this doc is appreciated.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION/PASSPORT - (DIFFERENT FROM ILR)
1) Before you can apply for a passport you need to become a UK citizen by applying for citizenship and then attending a UK citizenship ceremony.
2) If you are married to a UK citizen, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you have ILR as long as you meet the 3-year residency requirements.
3) It costs about £1300 for citizenship and can take up to 6 months for processing. You then have 3 months to attend to citizenship ceremony after that.
4) Once you have UK citizenship, you can apply for a UK passport, which is about £80 and takes up to a few weeks for processing.

CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
1)   Fill out the Application Form
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-naturalise-as-a-british-citizen-form-an/apply-online-form-an
2)   There are links to the Referee Forms.
One referee should be a person of any nationality who has professional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant, or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing you with this application). The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.
You will need their:
• Name
• DOB
• Passport Number
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Profession
• Address
• Residential addresses for 3 years
• Relationship to applicant
3)   Submit Form + Pay Fee (£1330 in August 2022)
4)   Mandatory Actions – includes Referee Forms (again) + Family Consent for Verification Checks form.
5)   Sopra Steria. You love it.
Look out for an email sent to your registered UKVCAS email address called:
Book your UKVCAS appointment now or Download the UKVCAS IDV app now (IDV = UKVCAS Identity Verification)
You can then go ahead and either book a UKVCAS appointment or download and use the IDV app so UKVI can process your application
If you have not received an email within 14 days inviting you to book an appointment or use the IDV app, get in touch with UKVCAS.Register and book Biometric Appointment.
You will not be able to use the IDV app unless you receive an invitation from UKVCAS. If you are using the IDV app, don’t book a UKVCAS appointment.
6)   Upload Docs before Biometric Appointment (must complete at least 48hours before) or take the docs to the Appointment if you have booked/paid to have them scanned.

Citizenship is a completely different type of application and is in no way comparable to a spousal visa, FLR or ILR.
It is not a visa and it has almost no requirements. It is the easiest application you will fill in.

For citizenship (if married to a UK citizen), the only requirements are:
- Hold ILR.
- Married to a UK citizen.
- 3-year residency requirement (in UK 3 years prior to application date and no more than 270 days outside the UK in last 3 years) .
- Proof of Living in the UK for 3 years if applying as the spouse of a British Citizen (or 5 years if applying in your own right). (For most applications this will be your passports but if your passports do not confirm this, letters from employers, educational establishments or other Government Departments indicating presence in UK.)
- Good character requirement (no unspent convictions and you have been paying your taxes).
- 2 referees to confirm your identity.

None of the spousal visa requirements apply to citizenship. There is:
- No accommodation requirement
- No financial requirement
- No relationship requirement (other than your marriage certificate)

Unless you are self-employed, pretty much the only documents you should need for citizenship are:
- Applicant’s passport
- UK spouse’s passport
- ILR BRP card
- Marriage certificate
- Life in the UK test reference number
- 2 referee forms
- Consent for Verification Checks form


Citizenship Timelines.
Time from completing Citizenship Application to Biometrics - approx 21 Days according to one recent Applicant.
There is no Priority Service available for Citizenship Applications because it is not a visa.
*Average Citizenship Application processing times 8-12 weeks (Nov 2022)* 










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Hello,
Am just starting to get things ready to apply for British Citizenship and have quick question. For my 2 referees, is there an actual form or link I can send to my potential referees which informs them of the information I need from them, prior to starting my online application. I have found the link to the form they will eventually need to sign that will have my picture on it, but not the document that tells them the actual information I will need from them that I will have to enter into my application.  Thanks.

Hi there, I have just re-posted above the reference doc I wrote a few years ago which outlines what you and the referees need to provide.
I think civil servant really means a local councillor or someone with an official position.   It's got to be someone regulated by an official body  like a solicitor or accountant.

Hope that helps!

Hello! I was just granted ILR on Friday and would like to be an eager beaver who gets their citizenship application in ASAP.

Do I need to wait for my ILR BRP to arrive? There's an option on the application to say I don't have a BRP from my most recent application and it just asks if I have an old one I can provide, which I still have. I was also able to create an evisa account with my ILR, so I could also include a cover letter giving that reference code. To me, that seems like it would be enough. But then I figured I should maybe check first instead of throwing away £1600 because I couldn't wait an extra few days....

My oh my it has been a while since I've been here! I am finally, finally, finally getting around to my naturalisation.

My question is about "proof of living in the UK for 3 years as the spouse of a British citizen", or maybe it's multiple questions:

• I haven't had an entry stamp in a long old while, thanks to the e-gates - does that mean they won't know from my passport?
• As proof without stamps, I have read that a P60 will work - I was made redundant twice in the past three years, so I don't have much coverage there - what else works as proof? Old articles say council tax bills work, but the application specifically says "Bank statements or household bills are not suitable proof you have been living in the UK."
• I've just clocked the text "as the spouse" - that will be covered by my marriage certificate, right? We don't share a surname

My oh my it has been a while since I've been here! I am finally, finally, finally getting around to my naturalisation.

My question is about "proof of living in the UK for 3 years as the spouse of a British citizen", or maybe it's multiple questions:

• I haven't had an entry stamp in a long old while, thanks to the e-gates - does that mean they won't know from my passport?
• As proof without stamps, I have read that a P60 will work - I was made redundant twice in the past three years, so I don't have much coverage there - what else works as proof? Old articles say council tax bills work, but the application specifically says "Bank statements or household bills are not suitable proof you have been living in the UK."
• I've just clocked the text "as the spouse" - that will be covered by my marriage certificate, right? We don't share a surname

You just need to include:

- your passport as proof of residency

- your BRP as proof of holding ILR

- your marriage certificate as proof you are married to a UK citizen.


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Thank you @ksand24 for the clarification on docs!

I feel like I may have made a grave error. I apparently did SET(LR) instead of SET(M) for my ILR, granted in May 2021.

I have been married to a British citizen for nearly 8 years [omg where does time go], so I did my whole application under the impression of the 3 year route.

Have I really screwed this up?

Thank you @ksand24 for the clarification on docs!

I feel like I may have made a grave error. I apparently did SET(LR) instead of SET(M) for my ILR, granted in May 2021.

I have been married to a British citizen for nearly 8 years [omg where does time go], so I did my whole application under the impression of the 3 year route.

Have I really screwed this up?

No, you haven't screwed anything up.

Citizenship is not a visa application, so it doesn't matter on what basis you got your ILR.

All that matters is whether or not you are married to a UK citizen AT THE TIME you apply for citizenship.

- If you ARE married to a UK citizen, you have to show:
a) that you hold ILR (granted under any route)
b) you are married to a UK citizen
c) you have been resident in the UK for the last 3 years
d) you have not been outside the UK for more than 270 days in those 3 years (no more than 90 of those in the last 12 months)

- If you ARE NOT married to a UK citizen, you have to show:
a) that you have held ILR (granted under any route) for at least 12 months
b) you have been resident in the UK for the last 5 years
c) you have not been outside the UK for more than 450 days in those 3 years (no more than 90 of those in the last 12 months)

A couple of examples:

a) Person A has been living in the UK for 20 years and has held ILR for 15 years (SET(O)). They married a UK citizen 6 months ago. As they are now married to a UK citizen, they can apply for citizenship showing only 3 years of residency. However, if they had applied for citizenship before they got married, they would have had to show 5 years of residency.

b) Person B moved to the UK on a spousal visa 7 years ago and gained ILR (using SET(M)) 2 years ago. They have since divorced their UK spouse and are now single. As they are no longer the spouse of a UK citizen, they must meet the 5-year residency requirement.

c) Person C came to the UK as an unmarried partner of a UK citizen. They received ILR (SET(M)) last week. However, as they are not married to their UK partner, they must now wait another 12 months before they can apply for citizenship and will need to show 5 years of residency.

Thank you so much @ksand24 that is so helpful and very clear with the examples!

Hello,
If I want to do a dual citizenship is there anything different I have to do? I don't want to start the application until I know how to do it. I have ILR-M and just updated my BRP online with the new evisa thing. When exactly do I state I want dual citizenship?

Hi, I have dual citizenship. Nothing to it. Just apply for your UK citizenship, then your passport…and boom….dual citizen. Both countries allow you to have dual citizenship so nothing at all to worry about.


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