Journey to Dual Citizenship

Hi, my name is wench, and I'm considering becoming a dual citizen.  

Seriously tho, I am now looking into sorting out the paperwork to do this.  Figured I'd chart it out on here, get any tips, and let others see what the process is like.  No doubt been done before, but hey, not by me.  

Okay you can all stop laughing now.  

Now on with my ponderings...

The wife or husband of a British citizen may apply for naturalisation after living in the United Kingdom legally for three years. The applicant's stay must not be subject to any time limit on the date of application; the applicant must be 18 or over and not of unsound mind, but does not have to meet the requirements to have sufficient knowledge of the language and to intend to live in the United Kingdom once naturalised. He or she must be of good character, however.

So is that 3 years from the day I entered the country (on my visitors visa) or 3 years after I got my marriage visa (a few months later lol) or what?

Oh and here are the two links I'm looking at atm, if anyone's interested.  
http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/default.asp?PageId=151
http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/default.asp?PageId=145

More later, as I get further into it.  
wench

You and I are on the same journey, Wench. I've got the majority of my paperwork completed (still working on the documentation), but am waiting until after our holiday to submit it (obvious passport reasons). I understand it to be 3 years from the date of your spousal visa (FLR). I've been married now 4 yrs, but held off for about a year due to the ill health of my father, who has since passed on. I'm hearing 'rumours' that the process may very well be much better than what I've read (8-9 mos). That would be great news!

DH made a comment yesterday wishing I already had my citizenship so I could bring back 3000 cigarettes when we go to Tenerife! LOL

Guess he'll have to suffer a bit longer

Sherry

Aaah.  Well if it's 3 years from the spousal visa...I've still got um until next May heh!  Ah well.  Guess I'll just have to read up on it while I wait.

I've got a way to go before I head down the naturalisation road but will most likely do it when I'm eligible so long as I can be a dual citizen.  I'm interested to read the experience of others!

I applied for naturalisation on 11th Aug, received the confirmation letter on the 14th and this past Saturday received the papers for Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance.  We were under the impression that it would take 8-9 months for this to go through and didn't want to send our documents away for that long (you need both passports, both birth certificates, marriage certificate and divorce decree if you or your spouse are divorced), so we took all these papers to our solicitor who photocopied and certified them (cost was £20 plus VAT).  Then I just sent them off to the Home Office in Liverpool, never, ever dreaming they would come back so quickly.  Last night we went to the solicitor and he administered the Oath, signed & certified and I've sent that off this morning.  I suppose there is always the chance that this will take longer to come back.

You can apply 3 years after getting your indefinate leave to remain.  

Hope this helps,,,I'll let you know when I get the Citizenship Certificate back.

(cost was £20 plus VAT).  Then I just sent them off to the Home Office in Liverpool, never, ever dreaming they would come back so quickly.  

This is the beauty in working in a law firm for a solicitor: it would cost me nothing!  Although if in the position to, I reckon the £20 is worth it to have the peace of mind that your documents are safe.

You can apply 3 years after getting your indefinate leave to remain.  

That seems to belie what Wench quoted where it said you can apply after being in the country legally for 3 years.  I've always been here legally: initially under a 1 year spousal visa and now with ILR.  So in total I've been here legally visa'd for a year and 7 months.  If what Wench is quoting is correct, I should be able to apply for citizenship in another year and half (or thereabouts).  Or am I missing something here?

Hope this helps,,,I'll let you know when I get the Citizenship Certificate back.

Do keep us posted!  It's exciting!

Ack if it's from indefinite leave to remain...well heck I only got that last year.  :O
Argh.
wench

Unless this has changed along with the visa stuff, it's 3 years from the date you entered the UK on whatever settlement visa you entered on - whether it was Fiance(e) or Spouse.  However, you must have your ILR before you can apply - that would be the bit about no time limit on your stay at the time of the application.

For example - the boys and I entered on 8 September 2002 with settlement visas.  We got our FLRs on 17 April 2003, which means we apply for ILR in March of 2005.  September of 2005 we can apply for citizenship.  We'll have Indefinite Leave and will have been living in the country legally for 3 years at that point.

And you can apply on your children's behalf as long as they are under 18 (and meet the other requirements) - and my oldest turns 17 in 2005.  Which means those applications are going out on 9 September 2005!!!    

aaah.  Okies, that's what I thought it was before.  Thank you Peedal.  
wench

Oh - and if you didn't enter on a settlement visa (i.e. were one of those students or *visitors* who got married and got their FLR before all the changes), the 3 years start from the date you got your FLR, because that's when you started legally residing in the UK with the intention of settlement and were not simply *visiting* (as student visas require you to leave the country once your education is completed).

So three years from Spouse visa...that was in 2001...so early next year.  
wench

Cool...thanks for the verification Peedal!

Updatage:

I told David about a week (or so) ago that I was planning on doing this (we were walking home), and he asked me "So what do I need to do to get mine?"  Now mind you, I thought he was joking.  And he said that no, he was serious.  I'd stopped walking at this point and was just standing there gobsmacked.  He kissed me and promised me that we will live in the states one day too.

weell...she-it howdy.

Can you say "thrilled to itty bitty bits"?  I know I can!



So um, now I've got two sets of paperwork to investigate.
wench

I've been trying to decide if I want to do this....

I cant figure out what the benefits would be.  either way uncle sam wants a little of my earnings.  with dual citizenship....you cant apply for both pension benefits (social security), it is to my understand that you would have to decide which you want and forfeit the other.  and then still pay uncle sam.  (as you can tell I'm not happy with the IRS these days, hehe).

would you lose any of your american rghts by doing the dual citizenship thing?  

i will be watchin everyone progress and takin notes....

That's not true about pension rights. You can claim your entitlement based on what you paid in the US, just as you will claim your UK pension benefits based on your contributions to NI over here. Mark got sent a statement from the US to say what his entitlement was.