British naturalisation / citizenship

Hello everyone,

I am almost ready to make a payment on my citizenship application however I am a bit stuck on the referees part!

5.1  One referee should be a person of any nationality who has a precessional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant, or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing  you in this application). The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.

So what if I don’t know anyone from the first part of the paragraph!

I don’t really know what to do here!?

I do have 2 friends who are British both with jobs but not exactly civil servants or accountant or solicitors…

Please help! I don’t want to pay and then get rejected cause my referees don’t meet the criteria


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We used a friend in the USA who is a nurse and a friend here in Scotland how holds a British passport. It was accepted with no issue. Good luck with your application.

Hello everyone,

I am almost ready to make a payment on my citizenship application however I am a bit stuck on the referees part!

5.1  One referee should be a person of any nationality who has a precessional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant, or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing  you in this application). The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.

So what if I don’t know anyone from the first part of the paragraph!

I don’t really know what to do here!?

I do have 2 friends who are British both with jobs but not exactly civil servants or accountant or solicitors…

Please help! I don’t want to pay and then get rejected cause my referees don’t meet the criteria


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They don't need to be friends, just someone who has known you for at least 3 years and who can confirm that you are who you say you are. Think along the lines of people you know in a professional capacity and consider also who you may know who is a member of a professional body, that covers many of the people who work in healthcare for example. And as Kezzie says, that one does not have to be British.

Your application will not be rejected if they don't accept your referee but you will be asked to provide another.

If it is clear from the information provided that a referee does not meet the requirements, you must ask the applicant to provide a different referee.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/963263/nationality-policy-general-information-all-british-nationals-v2.0ext.pdf

Hello everyone,

I am almost ready to make a payment on my citizenship application however I am a bit stuck on the referees part!

5.1  One referee should be a person of any nationality who has a precessional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant, or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing  you in this application). The other referee must normally be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.

So what if I don’t know anyone from the first part of the paragraph!

I don’t really know what to do here!?

I do have 2 friends who are British both with jobs but not exactly civil servants or accountant or solicitors…

Please help! I don’t want to pay and then get rejected cause my referees don’t meet the criteria


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My professional referee was an architect originally from Portugal (and was accepted). He has settled status as an EU citizen, but they do NOT have to be British. (I was confused by that too and found out later that they could be from the US; fortunately, my person turned out to be okay.)
The British referee doesn't have to be a professional (mine was an analyst who works for a local council). They just have to be British.

This is the only thing stopping me from sending my application. Honestly I can’t think of anyone who is part of a professional body that’s it’s not related to me. 2 of my referees are friends since it says they must know me personally for 3 years.


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This is the only thing stopping me from sending my application. Honestly I can’t think of anyone who is part of a professional body that’s it’s not related to me. 2 of my referees are friends since it says they must know me personally for 3 years.


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Think about university professors from classes you may have taken, your doctor, a lawyer/solicitor you worked with 3+ years ago, a clergyman... they don't have to be a friend.  They just have to have known you for more than three years.

Think about university professors from classes you may have taken, your doctor, a lawyer/solicitor you worked with 3+ years ago, a clergyman... they don't have to be a friend.  They just have to have known you for more than three years.

And they can be from the States (or anywhere else)--they don't have to be British. A banker, electrician, plumber, certified tech person, local government employee...the list is pretty extensive.

Thanks everyone I have sorted the referees and made my payment however is the biometric appointment always cost £112 or is it an option for a free appointment?


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Thanks everyone I have sorted the referees and made my payment however is the biometric appointment always cost £112 or is it an option for a free appointment?


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In theory there are free appointments, however since Covid they have basically been almost impossible to get, so pretty much everyone has had to pay for their appointment.


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I work in a law firm and a lot people come in for this or to certify their ID. We usually just ask for a donation for our charity in exchange. Hope this helps!


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Hi thank you all! All done now finally! Last Step to all this visa process finally coming to an end! So happy for this the cost has been absolutely ridiculous… just waiting for my biometrics and then is all a waiting game from here

It has been a very long journey hoping all my supporting documents are all in good order.

Hoping it doesn’t take the full 6 months to obtain a decision on my naturalization!

One last question can I travel while I am going through the process?


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