When can I get a British passport?

Hello!

I was married in May (hooray!!) to a Brit.

BUT....in May of 2007, it will be four years of working on my work permit for my British employer and Im told that this means I can get ILR.

I know I can get FLR now, but I thought I'd wait till May next year and go for the FLR based on my work permit as it seems much easier to do it that way.

How long after ILR can I get a British passport??  I have a friend getting married in Cuba and I think Id have a hard time entering Cuba on a USA passport!!

Thanks!!!!

actually, the rules changed a few months ago.  You now need to have been working on a WP for five years before ILR, not four.  So you're not eligible for ILR until May 2008 on your work permit.  However, since you're married to a British citizen, you can apply for citizenship immediately after receiving ILR 2 years from now.  If you don't mind being tied to your company for the next two years, I would just stay on your workpermit- getting FLR-M now would delay your ILR by a few months because your ILR clock will start over (not to mention it's expensive!).  But if you don't mind that, you can always get it just for the job flexibility...it's up to you.

Correction:


I know I can get FLR now, but I thought I'd wait till May next year and go for the ILR based on my work permit as it seems much easier to do it that way.

Nooooooooooooooooo!!!
When did the rules change!?!?!?!?

I cant bear the thought of being in this job till May 2008!! No way!

Ill apply for FLR now I guess....but does that mean now I have to wait till July 2008 to get ILR???

How do I apply for FLR and how much does it cost?

Nooooooooooooooooo!!!
When did the rules change!?!?!?!?

April, I think?

Ill apply for FLR now I guess....but does that mean now I have to wait till July 2008 to get ILR???

Yes.

How do I apply for FLR and how much does it cost?

You can send it in by post, or apply in person at any one of the offices around the country.  Info and application here: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk.  Cost is £335 by post, £500 in person (of course if you apply by person you get your FLR the same day- if you apply by post it'll take a few weeks.)

Will I have to jump through the same hoops others have to in order to establish proof of my relationship etc?  Or is it as simple as paying the fee and showing my marriage certificate?

that's a good question....I don't really know that much about FLR-M applications, so hopefully someone else out there who has done it will jump in and answer!

Let's have a look now...

May 2003 - came to UK on work permit
May 2007 - married UK national

If you stay on the work permit, you can get ILR in May 2008, and citizenship immediately afterwards
If you switch, you will get ILR in July 2008, and Citizenship immediately afterwards...

So, if you hate the job that much, you will only lose two months by switching.

You would have to jump through all the usualy hoops I am afraid.

Vicky

Married in May 06.


What are the hoops you all had to jump through anyway??

I didnt come here to marry him...I came here on a work permit to work and I met him while I was here and we fell in love...

So shouldnt it be easier to get FLR without having to prove everything?

I didnt come here to marry him...I came here on a work permit to work and I met him while I was here and we fell in love...

So shouldnt it be easier to get FLR without having to prove everything?

What did you have to prove to get your Certificate of Approval?

Really it will be yours and his employment contracts and wage slips, your and his bank statements for the last three months, a letter from each of you, information about your accommodations (lease agreement or mortgage papers) and your and his passports and the marriage license.

It isn't the whole thing you will need for the IRL (the proof for each month, blah blah blah, to show your relationship endured) but I would start collecting that stuff.

Sorry about my typo on the date...the final dates remain the same though.

Vicky

what is a certificate of approval?  ive never heard of that??

i didnt come to the uk to get married...i came here on a work permit and met him later and fell in love.....

so did i need a coa?

When a non-EEA national gets married in the UK, unless they get married in a Church of England Church, they need a Certificate of Approval before the registrar will marry them.

I am not sure what 'hoops' you need jumping through really.  You get no special treatment because you came here on a wp, but the process is fairly straight forward.

Everything you need to know is on www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk

Victoria

We got married in the Dominican Republic.....is that why I dont need a COA?

Yes. It is only needed for marriages in the UK.

Vicky