Paper ILR to citizenship

Hi all. I am American and have a paper ILR issued in 2002. With the new e-visa system coming on line, I figured I would make finally a naturalisation application as the spouse of a British citizen. A couple questions. The form asks for speeding tickets/traffic tickets. I have none in the UK, and no criminal or civil offence record of any kind in the UK. I wrote to get my complete driving records from the USA I had licenses in, and there were two tickets, fine only, no court, 5-9 over the limit from the late 80s/early 90s. So I’ll report this. There are no parking tickets listed on my driving record, and I think I had an overdue meter in the 1980s and paid a 10 dollar fine, but the city court office said they didn’t keep records that far back. Do I just explain this in a cover letter? I honestly cannot remember the exact year/month of that parking ticket. should I include copies of my American driving records or no?

Second, I have letters from my current and past employers HR departments on letterhead stating I worked there all the way back to 2002, and I have P60s for the last six years, and all my past passports with entry/exit dates.  I had my last job a v. Long time, well before the BRP was a thing.  I have been doing self assessment as well as working as I have a side gig, so I have tax returns going back a few years as well. Is this going to be sufficient to show I have not been too absent from the UK for the application? I visited the USA in 2015 for 6 weeks, and had some one-two week visits to countries on the continent, but I am well, well under any extended absences. It is quite hard really to give them much more proof I was in the UK than this, and I’m freaking out about this.  I have to admit once I had ILR, I did not think I would have to keep all my council tax, P60s, tax forms beyond seven years.

I answered my own question.  I spoke to an immigration advisor, and they said I only had to have 3 years of proof I lived in the UK, as I am the spouse of a UK citizen…that info will be in my passport stamps.

They also told me that two decades old speeding tickets are probably not relevant and don’t need to be reported, but I think I will to cover my bases.  I mean, hey, it took serious effort to get those driving records!

Have a good day everyone.

The UK have entry and exit checks: they know when you have absent during the required period for Citizenship.

Unless you have nerves of steel and will have for the rest of your life, it's always better to be honest on any application. It might not be required, but by putting everything down, you can never be accused at a later date of using deception and dishonesty with any UK government department.

Unless you have nerves of steel and will have for the rest of your life, it's always better to be honest on any application. It might not be required, but by putting everything down, you can never be accused at a later date of using deception and dishonesty with any UK government department.

How can you be found being dishonest/using deception for omitting information you weren't required to provide in the first place?

How can you be found being dishonest/using deception for omitting information you weren't required to provide in the first place?

I was talking about those migrants who use deception with any government department, including UKVI, on their route to citizenship.

Requirements for a British Citizenship application are different to the immigration route because they are two different laws. Those applying for British Citizenship have to be of Good Character, of which any Deception and Dishonesty is part of that requirement.

How can you be found being dishonest/using deception for omitting information you weren't required to provide in the first place?

   Of course you can't.  Some people like to think that there's this mass of immigrants trying to lie and cheat their way into the UK so they can eat our swans.  Too much Daily Mail rots your brain.   

   Of course you can't.  Some people like to think that there's this mass of immigrants trying to lie and cheat their way into the UK so they can eat our swans.  Too much Daily Mail rots your brain.   

They are not "our swans", they belong to the King.

There are often people on boards such as immigrationboards, stating they lied on their visa and should they continue to lie on future applications.

They are not "our swans", they belong to the King.

There are often people on boards such as immigrationboards, stating they lied on their visa and should they continue to lie on future applications.

Well, I suppose if I was just going to lie, I wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of getting my driving records from the 80s…not easy to do if you don’t have your driving license number from the States anymore.   I also suspect, despite the hostile environment against immigration, that the vast majority of immigrants are law abiding folk, just as most native Britons are.  I can certainly say I am no fan of eating swans.    I just wish the forms were a little more straightforward and the character business was not so subjective.

so just an update. I had my citizenship ceremony, and have sent in my passport information.  That’s great, and thanks to all for their advice on this board.  Really appreciated.  But an American friend of mine who has been in the UK since about 1980 on an ILR and retired just found out he has to get an e-visa. It came up by chance in a conversation we were having about something else.  It worries me a bit that folks like him are going to slip through the cracks.