Current naturalisation/citizenship waiting times

I couldn't find a recent topic on this, but thought it might be useful to post current timelines for naturalisation.

- 19 June - Submitted naturalisation application via in-person checking service (NCS) (sent the following day as we had an evening appointment)
- 2 July - £906 (sob) removed from bank account (I paid by cheque)

Pretty fast so far!

An update:

- 19 June: Submitted naturalisation application via in-person checking service (NCS)
- 20 June: Application sent to Home Office by NCS
- 27 June: Date of Home Office acknowledgement letter
- 2 July: £906 cheque cleared my bank account
- 3 July: Received Home Office acknowledgement letter

I'm a little surprised to see that the letter says they will decide my application within six months! I guess they give themselves plenty of time.

Hello MorganSF --
My acknowledgement letter said the same and I was prepared for the worst. In the end it took two months. I applied mid-April and had my citizenship ceremony mid-June.

Good luck!

I think 6 months is their processing standard time, so they just put that on all of the letters to cover themselves.

This time last year though, applications submitted through the NCS were only taking about 2-4 weeks for approval, although it looks like the processing time has increased to a couple of months now.

Thanks, Jayvee, and congratulations on your citizenship!

ksand24, I was hoping it's just to cover themselves. I'll update this when I hear more (though not sure I will before we leave for Italy in a couple of weeks!).

Just an update to say it's been eight weeks and no response yet.

From what I read on immigrationboards.com, the processing slowed down to essentially nothing from May onward, as staff were shifted over to dealing with the passport application backlog. I applied on July 15 (NCS in Crewe, Cheshire) and the fees were deducted on the 25th. My acknowledgement letter was dated the same day, and received on July 28th.

The June applicants who post over there are being told to "chill and be patient". I figure 3-4 months for straightforward applications is likely right now.

Thanks for the update, vadio. I seem to have hit every snag in this multi-year process, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it's taking longer this year!

Now I'm worried about getting the UK passport in time for Christmas ...

@ MorganSF - You're likely looking at early September for approval, possibly earlier. I read last week the average right now is about 65 working days. In addition to the passport backlog messing things up, we're now into school holidays and you can bet some staff are off. Just the way it goes.

I'm hoping for October, and that the uhu glue stick I used to attach the picture doesn't fail...and the picture sails off to a dark corner of Liverpool 

Vadio, I think you're right--ten weeks today and no word. I'll keep my fingers crossed on your glue stick! The guy who processed our application stapled my photo to the paper--didn't know you could do that! You did write your name on the back, didn't you?

LOL MorganSF - I did remember to write my name on the back (thankfully). I also didn't know it could be stapled; maybe you got a 'checker' with common sense.

It looks like the May applications are starting to move now, so June can't be far behind! Then July.... I checked statistics for the past couple of years re: total applications, and it's been over 200K per year; don't know what quarter typically have the largest number, but I figured the monthly average to be around 17,500. That's a LOT of paperwork to sift through!

Someone on immigrationboards.com also pointed out that if they slow up the naturalization processing, it also delays some future passport applications....yours, mine.....

Patience is NOT one of my virtues, but trying to stay positive.

Wow, that is a huge number of applications! But considering how much they each cost, it seems like they could hire a few more people to process them (though I know the government isn't exactly keen to hand out more citizenships).

Patience isn't one of my virtues either ...

Ufff I just attended my NCS yesterday in London. So I guess that means not a citizen until January then? :p

S.Dot, hope it won't take that long! But the way things are going ...

I had HOPED to be done, dusted and in possession of a maroon passport before my next trip to see my father in the US, but the way things are going, that hope is becoming increasingly dim.

I had 2 trips this spring - one planned, one unplanned but necessary when my mother died. I got fingerprinted coming back the 2nd time, and they didn't match. Luckily I got an IO with common sense, who believed that I was who my passport/visa said I was. Had really hoped not to need to go through that again.

Let's just keep hoping this logjam suddenly clears.....