'tough' Citizenship Test Outlined

[leedstony]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8180749.stm

AS IF THIS GOVERMENT DOSNT MAKE IT DIFFICULT ENOUGH ALREADY,have you seen the current life in the uk test,not easy by anyones standards.

HOPEFULY THESE BUNCH OF <deleted> wont be around for long anyway,but whos going to replace them, only another BUNCH OF <deleted>.

WHY DONT they spend time and look towards actualy clamping down on pure illegals and deporting them.

HEAR HEAR!!

[steve187]

We have just put in the paperwork for this last week. Used the nationality checking service and even though it is a bit pricey at £50 i thought it was worth it just for the peace of mind angle. Before we went to the register office to get the paperwork checked i would have laid money on having all the correct documents included turned out we had not. All in all when compared to the hoops you have to throw yourself through for visas and ILR etc it was remarkably painless and like most stuff in this catagory comes across as a bit of a money making scheme (£720 for naturalisation most none refundable if you get knocked back and then a further £72 for a passport further down the line). I dont envisage any problems but the advice from the registraar reference a friend and his wife was that she reckoned it was worth getting it done sooner rather than later as they were expecting a big surge in applications, she was also of the opinion that the application process was only going to get more time consuming and costly

Mark

Hi mark

We were going to use this service, as we are going back to thailand in december and wanted to keep the passport in order to make this trip, As we are applying in October, the process will more than likely not be completed prior to us leaving, Would it be possible for you to give us a list of the docs submitted so as not to miss out anything as the nearest checking service is an hour or more drive away

[chiang mai]

I'm confused by some of the comments here, it seems from reading them that most UK posters think that having a UK passport is the holy grail and that is what their loved one wishes. Personally I don't think it is so and that most Thai partners simply want the right to live in the UK with their partner but the idea of obtaining a UK passport is very much secondary. Certainly that is true in the case of my partner and myself. I suppose that if the the idea of immigration is to take advantage of state benefits then a passport is becoming increasingly beneficial and if that is the case, I say, let's make it it as difficult as possible for immigrants to obtain them!

[mark131v]

I'm confused by some of the comments here, it seems from reading them that most UK posters think that having a UK passport is the holy grail and that is what their loved one wishes. Personally I don't think it is so and that most Thai partners simply want the right to live in the UK with their partner but the idea of obtaining a UK passport is very much secondary. Certainly that is true in the case of my partner and myself. I suppose that if the the idea of immigration is to take advantage of state benefits then a passport is becoming increasingly beneficial and if that is the case, I say, let's make it it as difficult as possible for immigrants to obtain them!

CM

I dont know if you or your partner have ever lived in the UK but if you had you would have a better idea why getting UK/European passport is a big bonus.

The wife has an aunt in France we would like to visit them but that would entail a trip to the French Embassy in London to get a Schengen Visa i dont know how straight forward that would be and dont really care

We have friends who holiday in Europe again admin, cost, time means we dont bother going there on holiday

Your point on benefits is i think incorrect once you have ILR you can take advantage of the welfare system and can certainly take advantage of the Medical system

I do agree it is not the holy grail but once you have citizenship and a passport it certainly makes life a lot easier reference travel

Steve187

Cant remember exactly what they took copies of but all the usual stuff passports, visas, marriage certificates (both original and certified copies) photo etc. All the info is on UK Borders Agency website specifically on Form AN.

I think it would be of benefit to you in that you do not have to send in any of your documents (passports etc) when using the the checking service so if you wanted to go on holiday or whatever it is not a problem. I think if you do it yourself you have to send all the stuff to the Home Office and i cant remember whether it is returned back quickly or not.

Hope that helps like i said compared to visas, ILR etc it is pretty painless

Mark

[steve187]

I'm confused by some of the comments here, it seems from reading them that most UK posters think that having a UK passport is the holy grail and that is what their loved one wishes. Personally I don't think it is so and that most Thai partners simply want the right to live in the UK with their partner but the idea of obtaining a UK passport is very much secondary. Certainly that is true in the case of my partner and myself. I suppose that if the the idea of immigration is to take advantage of state benefits then a passport is becoming increasingly beneficial and if that is the case, I say, let's make it it as difficult as possible for immigrants to obtain them!

no holy grail , but if a wife of a british national has to bend over backwards to obtain the right to settle in the country of her husbands birth, by that I mean english test, paying in the region of £600.00 ish or more if multiple applications are made to get to england then another £1,000 ish to remain here with an ILR, then why not pay the extra and obtain british citizenship, and get the benefits that brings, the freedom to travel to other countries without obtaining visas, the freedom to go to thailand for a period of two or more years and then be able to return to the Uk, without having to obtain a new settlement figure, The uk government or more to the point the labour party government have made our wifes jump through these hoops and pay the ridicules charges in order settle in the Uk with their British born husbands, whereas a wife of foreign EU citizens do not have to jump through these hoops, A british passport is not required to obtain state benefits, A lot of benefits become accessible on entry with a settlement visa and more become accessible on the granting of a ILR.

[DC1066]

I'm confused by some of the comments here, it seems from reading them that most UK posters think that having a UK passport is the holy grail and that is what their loved one wishes. Personally I don't think it is so and that most Thai partners simply want the right to live in the UK with their partner but the idea of obtaining a UK passport is very much secondary. Certainly that is true in the case of my partner and myself. I suppose that if the the idea of immigration is to take advantage of state benefits then a passport is becoming increasingly beneficial and if that is the case, I say, let's make it it as difficult as possible for immigrants to obtain them!

Taking advantage of state benefits couldn't be further from my mind when applying for my wife's citizenship and the idea that it is a prime motivator is offensive. Neither is it a Holy Grail, but it is important for all the reasons stated, not least ease of world travel as well as enabling us to live and spend an extended time in Thailand (should we choose to do so).

By far the biggest reason for me though is not what it allows now, but what it prevents from happening in the future. Immigration is a big issue and political 'hot potato'. It is a vote winner and an emotive issue. In the 5 or so years I've been involved in Thailand the process to come and stay in the UK has only got more costly and more difficult with an ever increasing number of hoops to go through. Who knows how this will change in the future, but I certainly can't envisage it getting any easier. So for me British citizenship brings us peace of mind and security.

If you are happy without the passport then good luck to you, but for me the British passport has value and I'll be very proud to see my wife at her citizenship ceremony.

I hope this helps ease your confusion a little.

[chiang mai]

I am not suggesting that individuals on this forum are trying to obtain UK passports for their wives in order to take advantage of the benefit system - instead I am making a generalized point of principle.

[7by7]

My wife naturalised as British for two main reasons:

1) Visa free travel in Europe, and many other countries where Thais need a visa but Brits don't.

2) We intend to retire to Thailand. The terms of ILR mean that if it becomes apparent that the holder is no longer resident in the UK then it lapses. This would mean if we wished to visit the UK after we have retired, she would need a visa. Citizenship can't lapse; citizens don't need a visa to enter the UK.

Seems a selfish viewpoint, I know, but there it is.

[steve187]

My wife naturalised as British for two main reasons:

1) Visa free travel in Europe, and many other countries where Thais need a visa but Brits don't.

2) We intend to retire to Thailand. The terms of ILR mean that if it becomes apparent that the holder is no longer resident in the UK then it lapses. This would mean if we wished to visit the UK after we have retired, she would need a visa. Citizenship can't lapse; citizens don't need a visa to enter the UK.

Seems a selfish viewpoint, I know, but there it is.

I think the above two points are the main reason that most people will apply for citizenship.

The government are making it difficult to obtain ILR by having to pass 'citizenship' test, but then there are no more hurdles to jump in order to obtain full citizenship, so why not.

If wifes/husbands of british nationals did not have to pass 'citizenship' test in order to obtain ILR then I feel that not so many

would apply for full citizenship, I further feel that the harder they make it for ILR then all the more will apply for cizenship..

[Boo]

Agree with last 2 posters & my husband applied for his citizenship for the exact same reasons. He has been here 5 1/2 years & got citizenship last year. At times we have been quite hard up but he nor I have ever thought of applying for benefits. Thats seems a bit of a long & hard one way to get a couple of hundred quid a week from the government cosidering the whole process (SV, flights to UK, cost of living in UK compared to thailand, ILR, Citizenship fee, Passport fee) costs thousands to complete.

[chanthas]

From the report linked to in the OP, and other reports I've read, two observations:

1) The test is not going to get any 'tougher' than it is at the moment; not that it's that tough now, just requires a bit of study.

2) The new citizenship rules, points etc., wont apply to spouses and family members of British citizens.

That's my reading of the situation. If I'm mistaken I'd be grateful for any corrections, and links to the same.

I really do hope this is the case,and i was on the understanding that the new rules were just for economic migrants.