Timescale of british citizenship answer

[sotonfarang]

We applied for my wife`s British citizenship 5 months ago today and sent away our passports and all the other relevant documents.

the home office say it may take up to 6 months

does anybody else have experience of this and know if its likely to be within that timescale?

[Stanaris]

Hi

I think everybody is advised it can take up to six months.

On another website someone claims they received theirs in 7 weeks but lots more are still waiting 4, 5 and 6 months.

As mentioned in another thread, due to the backlog of Passport applications staff from Citizen and ILR applications have been helping clear the backlog.

We just have to be patient but if my wife had waited 5 months then I would be ringing up and asking for an update. From what I have heard they are quite friendly and helpful

[sotonfarang]

thank you for the info.

i will wait until 5months is up on the 10th and call them.

thought it may be to do with the backlog in other sections

[bobrussell]

It is a long and very frustrating wait!

The time taken depends on so many factors, the least of which I suspect is the quality of the application. I am quite sure the majority sit on a pile and are processed rapidly when there is someone to process them!

The apparent reduction in settlement visa numbers did seem to shorten the time significantly but I suspect some staff have been drafted for other duties bringing the wait back to previous levels! Student visas clog up the system at this time of year so this would seem to be where staff are deployed.

I would almost take a bet on the application being processed at the 5 month stage!

Call me cynical!!

[wooloomooloo]

My wife applied for citizenship five and half weeks ago. We employed the services of the Nationality Checking Service and her passport was photocopied and returned immediately and that's the only reason I paid for the £65 service.

In the meantime I booked our holiday to LOS for November. No stress.

[Stanaris]

It is a long and very frustrating wait!

The time taken depends on so many factors, the least of which I suspect is the quality of the application. I am quite sure the majority sit on a pile and are processed rapidly when there is someone to process them!

The apparent reduction in settlement visa numbers did seem to shorten the time significantly but I suspect some staff have been drafted for other duties bringing the wait back to previous levels! Student visas clog up the system at this time of year so this would seem to be where staff are deployed.

I would almost take a bet on the application being processed at the 5 month stage!

Call me cynical!!

I was just wondering if anyone knows why the Citizenship applications take so long anyway.

When one considers that to gain ILR it is necessary to supply a lot of information, pass Life in the UK and a minimum of B1 English.

These are the same qualification for Citizenship but less information is required, therefore it would be natural to assume that the process would be simpler and quicker.

Just my thoughts anyway. If anyone can explain the process and why it takes longer than ILR it would be nice to know.

[7by7]

The criteria for citizenship are not the same for ILR; see here.

For example, referees are required, and some of the processing time is probably spent awaiting replies from those referees. (I don't know if referees are contacted in all cases; but if memory serves, my wife's were.)

However, I suspect that the main reason why both LTR and naturalisation applications can take so long is under funding resulting in insufficient, poorly trained staff.

The last, Labour, government increased visa, LTR and naturalisation fees so that, in nearly all cases, the fee is way above cost and introduced annual above inflation increases to those fees. The present Coalition government has continued this policy and it is certain that whoever forms the next government will continue with it.

But the profits made are not ploughed back into what is now UKVI to make their 'service' more efficient; the profits go to the exchequer.

[bobrussell]

I don't believe the wait is related to the complexity of the application. I am sure they process them as and when there is someone to do it!

I would like to believe they go through these applications with a fine toothcomb to weed out the inappropriate but I bet they don't!

Edited September 12, 2014 by bobrussell

[sotonfarang]

The criteria for citizenship are not the same for ILR; see here.

For example, referees are required, and some of the processing time is probably spent awaiting replies from those referees. (I don't know if referees are contacted in all cases; but if memory serves, my wife's were.)

However, I suspect that the main reason why both LTR and naturalisation applications can take so long is under funding resulting in insufficient, poorly trained staff.

The last, Labour, government increased visa, LTR and naturalisation fees so that, in nearly all cases, the fee is way above cost and introduced annual above inflation increases to those fees. The present Coalition government has continued this policy and it is certain that whoever forms the next government will continue with it.

But the profits made are not ploughed back into what is now UKVI to make their 'service' more efficient; the profits go to the exchequer.

After weeks on end sending emails and getting auto-mated email replies back directing me to the gov.uk website,which is no help whatsoever, i finally talked to someone yesterday by calling 5 different immigration/visa departments and asking to be put through and pleading for help.i finally found a man in the deportation dept who gave me a number, thank buddha.

the number on the website is auto-mated too and will cut you off.

the number for queries is 0300 123 2253

this is incase anyone else needs to use it,trust me its like gold dust!

i was told that my wifes application is still under consideration and i shouldn`t call as the 6 month deadline isn`t up until 10th October

on that date i can put a letter , in writing not email, to their office in Liverpool to ask if there is any reason why its taken longer than 6 months.

the address : home office

po box 306

liverpool

L2 0QN

we were hoping to get the answer, do a ceremony at the guildhall and get her british passport by xmas

it may be sorted by next xmas, unbelievable! i have been told that the staff from the home office / citizenship are helping clear the passport backlog therefore areas are being neglected

i thought the thai embassies were hard to get hold of and talk to but it seems good old blighty is worse

wish me luck!

[bobrussell]

I would be fairly confident that the paperwork, (hopefully approval) will arrive within the six months so don't despair!

I suspect the reason for the slow processing is because it is considered a low priority! Student visa processing, possibly passport backlogs or just useless standards of service may all be factors.

Things have not changed much since my wife applied a few years ago. Approved just within the six months but the date of approval appeared to have been backdated!

[sotonfarang]

well still no sign of any descision so the letter to chase them up will be in the post this week, the 6 moth estimated period is up this friday.

lets see what happens, just hope they dont look down upon a little nudge

[sotonfarang]

well still no sign of any descision so the letter to chase them up will be in the post this week, the 6 moth estimated period is up this friday.

lets see what happens, just hope they dont look down upon a little nudge

chase up letter has been sent. getting very frustrating now !

[Stanaris]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

well still no sign of any descision so the letter to chase them up will be in the post this week, the 6 moth estimated period is up this friday.

lets see what happens, just hope they dont look down upon a little nudge

chase up letter has been sent. getting very frustrating now !

Just an update. My wife received her Citizenship approval 7th October so that is 3 months.

A friend rang and requested their passports back after 4 months as they were urgently needed. They sent an approval letter with the passports so they were very surprised, just a thought.

Hopefully you get yours soon

[sotonfarang]

seems to be pot luck !

just had to cancel our xmas plans, absolute joke, been 6 months and 2 weeks nearly.

going to call them tomorrow.

thanks for the info

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

well still no sign of any descision so the letter to chase them up will be in the post this week, the 6 moth estimated period is up this friday.

lets see what happens, just hope they dont look down upon a little nudge

chase up letter has been sent. getting very frustrating now !

Just an update. My wife received her Citizenship approval 7th October so that is 3 months.

A friend rang and requested their passports back after 4 months as they were urgently needed. They sent an approval letter with the passports so they were very surprised, just a thought.

Hopefully you get yours soon

[wooloomooloo]

Having received my wife's citizenship approval within the last week, I was somewhat surprised that the letter arrived by second class post, i.e. not signed for.

Had the letter not arrived for unknown reasons then we'd have been none the wiser.

[wooloomooloo]

For example, referees are required, and some of the processing time is probably spent awaiting replies from those referees. (I don't know if referees are contacted in all cases; but if memory serves, my wife's were.)

Having spoke to my wife's professional referee yesterday, she confirmed that she wasn't contacted and my wife's personal referee wasn't approached either. I suspect that it's a mostly random event that referees are contacted nowadays.

[sotonfarang]

hmmm, strange one.

nothing surprises me these days. did they not send all your documents back with the letter then?

[wooloomooloo]

hmmm, strange one.

nothing surprises me these days. did they not send all your documents back with the letter then?

No documents were returned at all. The original LitUK test certificate must be submitted and will not be returned for fear that it ends up in the wrong hands at a later date and all the other documents were photocopies including my wife's passport as we used the Nationality Checking Service. We didn't have to photocopy anything as the registrar at the NCS did it all. Took her about half an hour, but that was fine with us as we paid for the service.

Included in the price is postage and packing by the NCS with Royal Mail Signed For 1st Class. It was posted on the day of our appointment at the NCS on a Friday and received in Liverpool the following Monday morning.

If it sounds like I continue to promote the NCS then it's probably because I found it to be exceptional value for £65.

[wooloomooloo]

Edit: I am not suggesting that an NCS route citizenship application is expedited whatsoever as it definitely isn't.

Also, I take you point that if your wife has applied by post then she should have received her passport back by registered / signed for post.

I was just surprised that the citizenship approval letter was returned by normal second class post. Strange.

[sotonfarang]

I hadnt heard of NCS before , shame as maybe it sounds like the best way to have sent it to them and may possibly achieve some kind of priority.

never mind, still waiting though, been 7 months and 1 week now

hmmm, strange one.

nothing surprises me these days. did they not send all your documents back with the letter then?

No documents were returned at all. The original LitUK test certificate must be submitted and will not be returned for fear that it ends up in the wrong hands at a later date and all the other documents were photocopies including my wife's passport as we used the Nationality Checking Service. We didn't have to photocopy anything as the registrar at the NCS did it all. Took her about half an hour, but that was fine with us as we paid for the service.

Included in the price is postage and packing by the NCS with Royal Mail Signed For 1st Class. It was posted on the day of our appointment at the NCS on a Friday and received in Liverpool the following Monday morning.

If it sounds like I continue to promote the NCS then it's probably because I found it to be exceptional value for £65.

[MAJIC]

The criteria for citizenship are not the same for ILR; see here.

For example, referees are required, and some of the processing time is probably spent awaiting replies from those referees. (I don't know if referees are contacted in all cases; but if memory serves, my wife's were.)

However, I suspect that the main reason why both LTR and naturalisation applications can take so long is under funding resulting in insufficient, poorly trained staff.

The last, Labour, government increased visa, LTR and naturalisation fees so that, in nearly all cases, the fee is way above cost and introduced annual above inflation increases to those fees. The present Coalition government has continued this policy and it is certain that whoever forms the next government will continue with it.

But the profits made are not ploughed back into what is now UKVI to make their 'service' more efficient; the profits go to the exchequer.

(I don't know if referees are contacted in all cases; but if memory serves, my wife's were.)

No not all!my wifes referees were not contacted!

It would be interesting to know,what percentage of referees are contacted though?

[sotonfarang]

I just called them AGAIN they say that there is a code on the file now suggesting that all that they are waiting for is replies from the external references now and we should have a reply within the next week!

well,if that is correct then it will take us upto the 8 month wait mark.

i pray to Buddha that it does arrive soon and more importantly its a YES.

then comes the citizenship ceremony and a 6-8 week wait for the passport application to be processed, that will take it upto the 11 month mark from start to finish.

god, we need a holiday! been trapped here for all that time is making my brain ache

[7by7]

Maybe worth contacting the referees and asking if they have replied; and if they haven't yet then asking them to do so.

[wooloomooloo]

...or indeed that your wife's professional and personal referees have indeed received such a request, as yet.

Here's some more info that I wasn't aware of previously and may be of interest to you and others.

My wife applied for citizenship through NCS on 1 August and duly received her passport back the same day [excellent benefit of applying through NCS] and I've obviously related this previously. I booked our holiday to LOS immediately thereafter for mid-November as I wasn't waiting around for her citizenship to be approved. We are here in LOS now and return to the UK later this week. So far, so good.

My wife's citizenship was approved late October and I endeavoured to make the soonest appointment for the citizenship ceremony but the earliest available appointment was 20 November but we were already due to leave the UK on 15 November. The next available appointment was a month later in December. Due to work commitments this wasn't feasible so I booked a private citizenship ceremony for 14 November, the day prior to our holiday [£125 for private ceremony], and the cost of this and date posed no problems for us.

We attended the private ceremony on 14 November and my wife duly received her citizenship certificate and accompanying literature. After perusing the literature, it would appear that leaving the country prior to my wife applying for and receiving her British passport poses the small problem of her not having a British passport or the alternative of a certificate of residence in lieu of the passport - something like that - on her return to UK later this week.

I wasn't cancelling our holiday, that's for sure, and decided on photocopying her citizenship certificate and hoping for the best. One thing I'm certain of, she's a British citizen now so no argument there and little chance of being denied entry [only the inconvenience of being held up while the IO checks out her status]. She is in possession of her BRP so will have no problem departing Swampy. What happens when we get to LHR is anyone's guess. I'm not stressed about it, more that our taxi is waiting for us at arrivals and really don't want him hanging about for an inordinate amount of time if it goes belly up.

So, she has her BRP [essentially invalid now] and a photocopy of her citizenship certificate.

I didn't want to worry my wife so didn't mention a thing about it, but clever little gamin [only joking] that she is, picked up on it on the way to LHR on 15 November and stated that the BRP is out of date now and will there be a problem coming back. She hit the nail on the head. I shrugged it off and she's been quiet since as she's always trusted me to do the necessary.

I'll let you know how we get on at T2 later this week. If she finds a sympathetic IO, then we shouldn't be held up for too long.

[bobrussell]

I would second the suggestion that you contact the referees to see if they have been contacted. it would make sense that an application would be delayed if a referee fails to reply or the reply is lost in the post or system.

It seems unusual for a referee to be contacted but perhaps it should be the norm. In this situation it would be helpful for a referee to know he or she is likely to be contacted! It would do no harm to inform the applicant that a reference has been sought or that there is a delay because of lack of reply.

I have to admit that I have not heard of this sort of delay, either here or those we know have been through the process personally.

[Richard W]

She is in possession of her BRP so will have no problem departing Swampy.

I don't think an expired BRP will be acceptable. Your wife may have to get a British passport to come home. In principle it should be quicker than applying for a BRP replacement visa and risking being turned down because she is British. 2-week turn-arounds are now being reported for British passport applications from Bangkok. I have heard of such applications from those with ILR resulting in obtaining a returning resident's visa instead.

Does anyone have access to your wife's naturalisation certificate?

What happens when we get to LHR is anyone's guess. I'm not stressed about it, more that our taxi is waiting for us at arrivals and really don't want him hanging about for an inordinate amount of time if it goes belly up.

So, she has her BRP [essentially invalid now] and a photocopy of her citizenship certificate.

As her BRP has expired, it is invalid on all counts.

In principle, as she has no British passport, she should be treated as though she were merely a British national. The nightmare is that she would then be refused entry because the IO was not satisfied that she would leave at the end of her visit of no more than 6 months.

I haven't heard of an IO being so cold-hearted; if you can make it to LHR you should be OK, except for the taxi.

[wooloomooloo]

I don't think an expired BRP will be acceptable.

We are flying EVA and from previous experience the BRP is only visually checked so I have no concerns there.

I'm 100% certain that my wife will make it to LHR.

Does anyone have access to your wife's naturalisation certificate?

No, the original is tucked away at home, though I brought out a photocopy with me.

In principle, as she has no British passport, she should be treated as though she were merely a British national. The nightmare is that she would then be refused entry because the IO was not satisfied that she would leave at the end of her visit of no more than 6 months.

I haven't heard of an IO being so cold-hearted; if you can make it to LHR you should be OK, except for the taxi.

I'll let you know how we get on later in the week.

[Richard W]

...stated that the BRP is out of date now and will there be a problem coming back.

We are flying EVA and from previous experience the BRP is only visually checked so I have no concerns there.

I think I misunderstood 'out of date'. I thought you were referring to its expiry date, which is printed on the BRP, but of course BRPs for ILR don't start expiring until 2017, and those are children's.

The risk lies with the BRP having been cancelled and the UK prohibiting boarding in Bangkok via the ruins of the e-borders scheme. I haven't heard of this happening yet.

[wooloomooloo]

Many thanks, Richard. Your above first quote is slightly misleading due to my wording, as it's not my quote but that of my wife. Sorry. The below quote is my own words.

So, she has her BRP [essentially invalid now] and a photocopy of her citizenship certificate.

My wife's BRP is valid, on paper, until 2022, so there's no problem departing Swampy and I'll guarantee that there'll be no problem. It's been a visual check for as long as I can remember and that'll satisfy the EVA visa head honcho.

It's only what happens when my wife arrives at T2. I'll be with her at the UK queue, as always. We've encountered nice IOs and arsy IOs in the past, but it's all over our heads, anyway.

Would be interesting to know if anyone has come across a similar situation.

We're going for it, nonetheless. She's a British citizen.

Edited December 2, 2014 by wooloomooloo

[wooloomooloo]

The nightmare is that she would then be refused entry because the IO was not satisfied that she would leave at the end of her visit of no more than 6 months.

Could you please expand on why my wife only has a six month period of visitation before she would have to leave. She's been here for over four years on settlement, ILR and now a British citizen.

This doesn't make sense. Many thanks, as always.

Edited December 2, 2014 by wooloomooloo