Uk Citizenship

[Mossfinn]

The passport interview basically involves them asking for the information already provided on the passport application form. They asked Mr boo, date of citizenship granted, mothers date of birth, date you first arrived in the UK, that sort of thing. He came a bit unstuck as he didn't know his mobile number, our postcode or our home phone number off the top of his head & also had to explain that I had filled out the form for him as I had for all his visa stuff so wasn't sure what I had put for the date of arrival but it was end of march 2004. Didn't seem to matter as he received his passport through 4 days later but might be worth making sure your wife is sure of the info on the form.

My wife has her British Passport interview tomorrow. She is abit nervous cause she does'nt know what they are going to ask her. I told her they will probably just ask some questions from her British Passport application. i.e date entered UK, Date received British Citizenship, etc etc

A previous response Mak, in case you missed it and Good Luck I am sure you both wont need it.

Moss

[Mossfinn]

Citizenship, if gained via naturalisation, can also be withdrawn and the holder removed from the UK if the holder commits a serious criminal offence, but the offence would need to be much more serious than it would be to lose ILR. Other than that, citizenship is permanent. It will not lapse no matter how long the holder spends out of the UK.

Are there any stats regarding the withdrawal of Citizenship, other than false claims or fraudulently obtained PP's, I would suggest quite difficult and prone to counter claim using the Human Rights Charter, particularly if it rendered the dispossessed Stateless.

[steve187]

My wife has her Indefinite leave to remain visa and now she has to wait 1 year before she can get her UK passport, the immigration didn't say anything about taking a citizenship test, she took an ESOL course instead of the life in the UK test but didn't have to go to a citizenship ceremony.

After getting ILR and before getting a british passport, your wife will have to apply for british citizenship (£700.00 or so) she can apply on the third aniversary of her arrival in UK. after receiving citizenship she will then have to attend a ceremony.

[Brigante7]

The passport interview basically involves them asking for the information already provided on the passport application form. They asked Mr boo, date of citizenship granted, mothers date of birth, date you first arrived in the UK, that sort of thing. He came a bit unstuck as he didn't know his mobile number, our postcode or our home phone number off the top of his head & also had to explain that I had filled out the form for him as I had for all his visa stuff so wasn't sure what I had put for the date of arrival but it was end of march 2004. Didn't seem to matter as he received his passport through 4 days later but might be worth making sure your wife is sure of the info on the form.

Could you tell me what was the cost of the passport please Boo?

Thanks Brigante7

[Boo]

The passport cost around 75 quid & Mr boo paid extra to have it check over, about 7 quid I recall.

[7by7]

Citizenship, if gained via naturalisation, can also be withdrawn and the holder removed from the UK if the holder commits a serious criminal offence, but the offence would need to be much more serious than it would be to lose ILR. Other than that, citizenship is permanent. It will not lapse no matter how long the holder spends out of the UK.

Are there any stats regarding the withdrawal of Citizenship, other than false claims or fraudulently obtained PP's, I would suggest quite difficult and prone to counter claim using the Human Rights Charter, particularly if it rendered the dispossessed Stateless.

I am not sure if there are any stats, but the decision to strip someone of their British citizenship would not be taken lightly and only in extreme circumstances; treason, terrorism or similar.

Unless, as you rightly say, citizenship was obtained by deception.

[dman961]

Firstly, congrats to Mrs Eastender.

Secondly, there seems to be some confusion over ILR vs citizenship.

1) ILR allows the holder to reside in the UK indefinitely; not permanently. It can be withdrawn and the holder removed from the UK if the holder is convicted of a serious criminal offence. It can lapse if it becomes apparent the holder is no longer resident in the UK; particularly if the holder spends more than 2 years out of the UK.

Citizenship, if gained via naturalisation, can also be withdrawn and the holder removed from the UK if the holder commits a serious criminal offence, but the offence would need to be much more serious than it would be to lose ILR. Other than that, citizenship is permanent. It will not lapse no matter how long the holder spends out of the UK.

2) Thai citizens require visas to visit many more countries than British citizens do. Holding ILR does not change this requirement. For example, a Thai citizen holding UK ILR will still need a Schengen visa to visit France, a British citizen does not need any visa to visit France.

Similarly, an ILR holder would need the appropriate entry clearance to live and work in another EEA state, even if accompanying their EEA national spouse or partner. A British citizen is entitled to freedom of movement and work throughout the EEA.

3) ILR holders can claim the same public funds as a British citizen.

4) ILR holders cannot vote or stand for election to public office, (local councillor, MP, etc.); citizens can.

Personally I feel that all the above makes naturalisation worthwhile, particularly Nos 1) and 2). However, it is an individual choice.

To qualify for naturalisation as British the applicant must:-

1) Have no time restrictions on their current leave to enter/remain; i.e. hold ILR or the equivalent.

2) Have been legally in the UK on the day exactly three years (five years if not the spouse or civil partner of a British citizen) prior to the Home Office receiving the application.

3) During the previous three years (or five as above) have spent no more than 270 days (450 days) out of the UK, with no more than 90 days in the final year.

Finally, if one has already satisfied the KOL requirement (LitUK test or ESOL with citizenship course) in order to obtain ILR then they do not need to do so again for naturalisation.

Top top info!!!

I'm married to a Thai and have a 10 month old baby boy. I've just started thinking about what is needed for them both to visit the UK and Europe. He has a UK and Thai passport so should have no problems, but the wife needs to apply for a visa.

Originally I wanted to take them both to UK and then to Europe & maybe USA, but realised there could be problems with multiple visa applications. I thought the answer would be getting a UK passport for her as we are married, giving her the same freedom of travel as me. Now I know this is not as easy as I first thought.

We have also talked about him going to school in England when he is 7-8 years old, I now think this would be the time to apply for residency and UK PP.

Q's

1. Can she apply for a ULR and (is this the settlement visa)?
   
2. Does this go into her Thai passport?
   
3. Can she then come and go without applying agian?
   
4. Do I need an address in UK or is a family address good enough?
   

Edited March 11, 2009 by dman961

[Brigante7]

I'll be interested to see what Mrs Brigante puts on the provide proof of british citizenship part of the passport application.

All applicants have to give proof of nationality as only a british national can get a british passport.

Anyone not british by right of birth has to produce a naturlisation certificate, which can only be obtained by attenting a citizenship ceremony, which invite you only receive after applying for british citizenship using the relevant forms provided by the hone office

Mrs Brigante may be in for a very nasty shock in 11 months.

That's what I thought also, but the 2 people at the UK immigration centre in Glasgow were insistent that after looking at all my wifes paperwork, including her pass certificate for her ESOL college course, that she could apply for and recieve her UK passport after 1 year.

Now I'm even more confused!

Brigante7

[Boo]

Hi Brigante7

I posted on another thread to you on the process as it normally happens & suggested that you call the home office direct for clarification.

I persoanlly can't see how she can apply for a passport without following the full process so either 1) you misunderstood what they meant or 2) the info you received from glasgow is wrong & the home office need to be aware that the staff are handing out crap advice. Either way a call to the home office is probably the best option to set your mind at rest.

[Boo]

Hi dman961

to answer you questions;

Can she apply for a ULR and (is this the settlement visa)?

The ILR is an indefinate leave to remain that is normally granted after completing the 2 year settlement/residency visa process first & after passing either a life in the UK test or an English language course with citizenship content.

Does this go into her Thai passport?

The settlement visa & later, ILR are placed in the Thai passort in sticker form.

Can she then come and go without applying agian?

The point of a settlement visa is for someone to settle full time in the UK. It isnt a multi entry tourist visa & if she gets a settlement visa & wishes to later apply for ILR she has to prove she has been living majority of the time in the UK & there are restrictions in place as to how much time she is allowed to spend outside of the UK. So if she did receive a settlement visa but then only spend a couple of weeks a year in the UK she probably wouldn't be eligable for ILR & it may affect any future visa applications too.

Do I need an address in UK or is a family address good enough?

If at the time of applciation you do not have a UK address you can use a letter of invite from a family or friend to stay with them till you find your own place but there are restrictions, amount of rooms vs how many people living at the address in place, but it is possible.

BUT....to apply for a settlement visa you must show that you intend to settle in the UK & for her to later apply for ILR she must show proof of address in the UK, in the form of bank accounts, being on the council tax bills &/or other household bills in her name.

But to clarify, your wife isn't entitled to a British passport just by being married to a British national, it is quite a long & expensive process. And unless she/you can show the eco that you plan to settle in the UK full time, it is unlikely she will be given a Residency/settlement visa either.

If you plan to live in thailand but wish to visit the UK often, then a multi entry tourist visa may be a better option

[yaketyak]

Today my wife received a letter from the UKBA (UK Border Agency) saying she has been granted British Citizenship. The only thing left to do is to attend a local ceremony and say an oath or pledge of allegience. I'm celebrating now on a second bottle of wine (so please excuse grammar and spelling).

So, to anybody else following this path it's fairly simple providing the person studies for and passes the exam and pays the fees. And before I get a load of questions asking me how etc, just go to the government websites. They are the best as they have the latest information on what to do.

Oh, and thanks to all who have helped us in the past.

Cheers,

Robin

p.s. Next step UK passport.

Congatulaions to you and moreover your wife,,,,,,,and anyone else reading this just be carefull when studying as the test is NOW only taken from the official GOVERNMENT BLUE UK BOOK so dont waste your time and money studying from ANY other book.

Having said all that I still cannot and never will accept why the bloody hel_l our UK legally married wives have to go through this humiliation to be allowed to live here with us and more to the point what bloody use it is ,, as neither I or anyone from the UK I know could pass it and amazingly we have managed to live here without this mine of useless information ( or could it be another labour tax in disguise ? ) oooooooooooooooooo shame on me for being so cynical.

I couldnt agree more i had a go at a practice test and did not get all the questions correct some were really hard, it is a bad case of overkill from the government i think.

this overkill as you stated,is done to stop undesirables into the uk.we all moan about immigrants coming in to the uk unchecked and then we complain when you want to bring a gf/wife into the Uk.The government are right in trying to reduce the amount of immigrants entering the Uk,as many will claim dole,claim child allowance etc etc.Why not stay in Thailand and have to pay for everything.

Not true to say "we all moan about immigrants coming in ..." .. i don't .. couldn't care less as it doesn't affect my life at all.

If its really the govt's aim to stop them getting benefits then why not scrap all the benefits . Come to that why not scrap them for all UK citizens as well.? There's a lot to be said for the old fashioned way .. work or die.

During my 6 day working week .. on NO benefits.. i see countless people pushing buggies past the shop on their way to yet another shopping day out , broken only by lunch in McDonalds.All paid for by my taxes of course. And i ask myself do these people EVER do anything in their lives remotly resembling work.? Do they ever contribute anything to society or do they just take take take. ? I guess we all know the answer.

But then can I blame them for simply taking advantage of a system that pays them everytime they pop out another kid ?.. probably the only hard work they ever do.

[yaketyak]

Oh.. forgot to say congratulations to the OP !!

[Mossfinn]

There's a lot to be said for the old fashioned way .. work or die.

So those that cannot work, should be left in the street to die?

i see countless people pushing buggies past the shop

Give a wave to my wife next time

on their way to yet another shopping day out ,

on her way to do voluntary work at a nursery while she completes her diploma in child care course,

All paid for by my taxes of course.

I think you might find it is our taxes and have we not contributed towards any Gov't funded projects you have benefited from, with her two jobs and my rather lonesome one.

Well if you consider voluntary work and taxes, three jobs between us, I guess you could say it resembles work. As for take, take , take, we do have child tax benefit, but I guess I have paid sufficiently into the Pot for that and when the boy is a Doctor in a generation or so, I guess he might contribute to saving your life. And I am only guessing here, but will you will have any offspring to contribute to society for the future.

It's a broken record Yak, let it be.

Good Luck

Moss

[Boo]

Or me, a 40% tax paying full time working mum on a well deserved & well earned day off with my son, we tend not to go Mcd's though, too much salt

[7by7]

the 2 people at the UK immigration centre in Glasgow were insistent that after looking at all my wifes paperwork, including her pass certificate for her ESOL college course, that she could apply for and receive her UK passport after 1 year.

To get a British passport one has to be a British citizen.

I think that the people in Glasgow are using a common verbal shorthand and when they say that she can apply for a British passport 1 year after receiving ILR what they mean is the whole process; i.e. apply for and be granted citizenship and then apply for a passport.

However, if when the time comes she is granted a British passport without first becoming a British citizen then I will be happy to eat my words. Don't think I'll have to, though.

[khundon]

She cannot get a British passport unless she first becomes a British citizen. So she first applies for naturalisation and attends her citizenship ceremony. Among the 'welcome pack' she will be given at the ceremony will be an application pack for her British passport.

If she is concerned about her status as a Thai citizen then be assured that both the UK and Thailand allow dual citizenship. Naturalisation as British will not affect her rights as a Thai citizen in any way.

We'll find out who is correct in 11 months, but at this moment in time I'll follow the advice of the 2 people I asked at the immigration centre and that advice was that after checking my wifes paperwork, granting her ILR visa they both told her she can aply for her UK passport in 1 year.

Once you have ILR you can apply for British Citizenship if you have passed LIUK Test or similar.

To qualify for a British passport you have to become a Citizen first.

You apply, fill out the forms, pay the fee of about £655 and then wait for the notice of acceptance, you will then be given a date for the Citizenship ceremony.

Then you go through citizen ship ceremony, this is usually done at local council offices, where you will be given Citizenship document.

Then you can apply for British passport, which will require another interview in an office in your area. If you pass this interview, you will receive the passport within a week.

Those are the facts.

[steve187]

Hi can anyone help with the following

1 how long are the applications taking for British citizenship at the moment

2 after being accepted for British citizenship is there a time limit in which the ceremony must be attended

the reason for the questions is we are planning a trip to thailand after the application for british citizenship and want to book the tickets, but do not want to clash with any time limit for the ceremony

many thanks

[Boo]

Hi, if the application is successful you wont attend the citizenship ceremony until you call & make the appointment yourself. And in August last year it took 3 months from application to confirmation of citizenship.

[steve187]

Hi, if the application is successful you wont attend the citizenship ceremony until you call & make the appointment yourself. And in August last year it took 3 months from application to confirmation of citizenship.

many thanks for that Boo

[Freddie_fly]

I'll be interested to see what Mrs Brigante puts on the provide proof of british citizenship part of the passport application.

All applicants have to give proof of nationality as only a british national can get a british passport.

Anyone not british by right of birth has to produce a naturlisation certificate, which can only be obtained by attenting a citizenship ceremony, which invite you only receive after applying for british citizenship using the relevant forms provided by the hone office

Mrs Brigante may be in for a very nasty shock in 11 months.

That's what I thought also, but the 2 people at the UK immigration centre in Glasgow were insistent that after looking at all my wifes paperwork, including her pass certificate for her ESOL college course, that she could apply for and recieve her UK passport after 1 year.

Now I'm even more confused!

Brigante7

I think they are including the whole package, ie citizenship then passport. If what you are saying is correct then anyone can apply for a british passport. But I think you and I both know that you actually have to be a citizen of the UK to apply. To put your mind at rest, check the Passport application form, where it asks for proof of Citizenship.

regards

Freddie