Hi Frances,
Don't get discouraged.
Follow the process and don't try to take any shortcuts and you'll be fine.
I completed our successful citizenship applications in June 2024. So maybe I can offer some observations.
My first observation was that instead of telling me all the options I would have for the process when I first started filling out the forms, I had to pass through hurdle A and B before I found out that there would be hurdle C. If only they had told me all these hurdles up front. If you similarly reach a hurdle C, just sigh and proceed. It's nothing personal.
Specific points:
1) Photos: I had our photos taken by a professional in my neighbouring market town and opted for him to give me actual physical photos. (I didn't trust the digital process.) Later, while filing my application, I saw that I had the option to specify the access code which my photographer could have supplied to me. Seems that he had the ability to upload our photos to an online site and give me the access code which I could then have provided on my application. But by the time I realised this, the photographer no longer had our photos so we had no option but to have my referees sign the form with my picture glued to it saying that "yes, that's him". I cannot help if you take the digital route. Regardless, my strong recommendation is to have a professional take your photos and discuss with the photographer the options of digital vs physical to see how they apply to your situation.
2) Referees:
Again, I took the non-digital path. As such, I had to glue my photo onto the form which they signed and which I then included when I mailed in my application.
I have to assume that had I taken the digital route, that my referees would have been contacted by the Home Office, been shown my picture and asked if that was me.
Regardless, again, please do not consider the situation personal. What the Home Office is trying to prevent (among other issues) is to prevent Tom standing in for Harry when it comes to deciding that the applicant is who they say they are.
3) documents (we attended our appointment at the kiosk in Swinden library (since closed)
On our applications, I opted for the "full-Monty", where the person would not just handle the docs but would review them and so forth.
I handed the lady a pile of documents for my wife and a pile for me, and she leafed through them looking to see if we had included a reasonable range of dates to show that we had resided together during the past 5 years. She then fed them all through a scanner with no issues. Some of my documents were the physical paper statements I had received from my bank or the NHS. Many were printout I had made of statements we had received as pdfs. I realised that by the time someone back in the office was looking at our documents, they would all be scans/pdfs. None would be the original "ink on paper" documents.
So provided you had selected this option when making your reservation to supply biometrics, you should not have any issues.
One final point I'll make was that I chose to have a full review of my documents.
I opted to pay a small amount to have the person review my documents and tell me of any issues.
But all of this may be mute since Sopra Steria is no longer contracting for this service.
-----------
Again, congrats on taking the effort to become a UKC. If nothing else, on an emotional level, it is well worth the effort. (Screw the $$/££ cost)
It's worth it.
Terry
