Updating this thread for reference so others applying around the same time will know what to expect with timescales (but I'm pretty sure you all know the good news by now as I've been shouting it from the rooftops haha) - sorry for not updating sooner, I was a bit preoccupied.
So, to recap, my appointment for biometrics for naturalisation was the
11th of May (after submitting the application itself initially on the 2nd of May). I had to pay for an "out of hours" appointment (fee was £100 I believe - for reference) and it was one of the soonest appointments I could get (just to set expectations of how soon you can get in - the caveat being that if I was paying for out of hours, I wanted a weekend where I wouldn't take work off as opposed to paying £100 for an early or late weekday appointment so the wait time might vary).
I received no communications at all through the process (I expected this based on others I've spoken to who've gone through this process). They didn't have any additional questions/comments/concerns for me and I don't even believe they contacted either of my referees as neither of them came back to tell me they had any questions asked by HO (and I know for sure that one of the two definitely would let me know). When my letter of approval arrived, I was actually taken my surprise as I was expecting to have to sign for the letter but it just came through the post as usual (I actually thought something was wrong when I saw a return address for HO without having to sign for it).
I have to say, the timing of my approval will DEFINITELY be memorable for me...I got my approval letter on
July 4th LOL. The irony was definitely not lost on me/my husband (it was actually perfect). I received it while my parents were still here, which was a really lovely surprise. The next step was to phone the local council provided on the letter and book in the ceremony but I was unable to do this until this morning because I had activities I was doing with my parents from Thursday (when i received the letter) until yesterday.
To know what to expect - and this may vary by council : I phoned the number given which redirected me to another number for their "customer service" line. I phoned that number and they took my details and wrote a letter to the registrars office who they said would phone me back. I could have also emailed but as I was already on the phone and my brain wasn't working quick enough to write down the email address, I just assumed do it over the phone. within an hour or two later, I received a call back from the registrars office who informed me he had my certificate so i could book in but they only do 1 group ceremony a month. Next available date is
28th of August at 12:30 so I've booked that in. As it's the group ceremony, I will be allowed only 2 guests.
I was going to pay for a private ceremony so my family could attend (my parents said they'd fly over and I had some friends who wanted to come), but I just can't justify it for numerous reasons.
Thought I'd give you the info I had/asked for in case it'll help you but so know that it might vary by council. Info I have is:
- Charge for private ceremony is £175 - unsure if that's an increase in price or if it's down to the individual council so prices may vary.
- You cannot book a private ceremony on a weekend (it's weekdays only as this is when the registrars office is open). For me, £175 was a lot to spend on another weekday appointment where friends/family would have to take time off work.
- Apparently (and, again, this may vary by council), there is less "pomp and circumstance" at a private ceremony so they actually recommend the regular ceremony as it's a "bigger deal" and "people like the mayor" are there for group ceremonies but not for the private ones and you can meet the mayor if you want to go early.
- You can take photos throughout (they can't really stop you) but video-ing would present more of a challenge because of GDPR (they would need to "take guidance" on this).
- You can, however, skype people in during the ceremony. obviously there's nothing they can do if you lose connection during the ceremony as they don't stop the ceremony for any reason so it's up to you if you want to try to skype in family or not.
- You can choose if you'd like to do the pledge or the oath - one mentions God an the other is non-religious. Weird as I think they are all done at the same time, so I'm not sure how they are going to get people reciting two different things, but it will be interesting and it's nice that they've adjusted to make everybody feel comfortable.
Hope this has helped anybody else who's at the beginning of their citizenship process. Now I'm just crossing my fingers that this is all done and dusted with my UK passport through before I go to Japan at the end of November as I'm nervous about travelling without proof of residence....
