British Citizenship : Letter Received - Additional Info Req

[WebMonkey]

I've received a letter from the Home Office yesterday, badly hoping it was my letter to confirm citizenship but sadly not. They are now requesting additional information when I thought my case was pretty straight forward. Then again, no application with the Home Office has EVER gone smoothly for me, now matter how much I played it by the book.

I received Permanent Residence in August 2013 via the route, Retention of Rights after my divorce to an EEA National. In September 2014 I had successfully completed the year required before I could apply for Naturalisation for British Citizenship. I completed the AN 1 form fully, even entered the date when I received my Permanent Residence stamp. Because I am in the middle of job hunting (I am still employed), I decided to book an appointment with the NCS to submit my application as I would need my passport and permament residence paperwork should I apply for a job role and get it. Nobody will employ you without the paperwork, which is fair enough. The application was checked, along with my Life in the UK test papers and my Cambridge International Examinations certificate proving the English Requirement bit.

The letter I've now received says the following, which I think is absolutely absurd but I need to get the facts straight as I have a feeling that rules have changed at the Home Office without anyone being aware of it (as usual).

"I refer to your application for British citizenship. Before we can proceed further please send all of the following original documents to this office by 28 November 2014.

1. Passport(s) or travel document(s) to cover the period from 24 June 2009 to 23 June 2014. You must also provide alternative evidence of your residence in the UK to cover the above qualifying period. The enclosed annex outlines the evidence you should provide.

2. As your application was received at this office on or after 28th October 2013, you must provide BOTH a life in the UK test pass notification AND and acceptable English language qualification in order to meet this requirement. You have not provided an acceptable English qualification. We require you to provide an alternative form of acceptable English qualification. We require you to provide an alternative form of English qualification"


Now my question is, when my paperwork was submitted at the NCS appointment, the lady looked in her book for my English Certificate and it was on the list of approved qualifications. I've got the following Cambridge International Examinations - International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). I checked it myself before applying that it was on the list. I have now google'd it again and it appears that the Home Office updated their list in November and it is not there anymore, what do I do now???

Secondly, do I have to prove the time period mentioned above AGAIN, even though I have had permanent residence since August 2013 and I had to submit years of documentation to prove I was eligible for that in the first place? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[ban.s]

Cambridge International Examinations - International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is still on the list of acceptable tests. See Page 14. You'll need to clear the test with English as either first or second language. You haven't stated whether you satisfied that condition.

You'll also need to provide evidence of 5 year stay in the UK in support of residential requirement. Clearly mentioned on the form. If your current passport is a recent one and doesn't cover previous 5 year, then you'll need to include the previous passport or other supporting documents.

NCS should have pointed these to you.

[WebMonkey]

Thank you for the prompt response. Yes, I have passed the course as a Second Language. The certificate shows my grades in full detail including the oral exam.

I must have misunderstood the application form and comments I have read here on the forum. People mentioned that you did not need to prove the 5 year history again if you have the Permanent Residence document but I can provide them again with all my passports I have had.

[ban.s]

I am not sure why they asked for proof of english test as this was submitted with the application.

proof of residence is wasn't included so it's understable that they asked for it. however as you sent your application through NCS, they should have checked it and included in the first instance.

suggest you contact NCS on this, raise both the issues and ask if they would arrange the send the documents for you to UKBA (as it was their oversight).

[Hubba]

Thank you for the prompt response. Yes, I have passed the course as a Second Language. The certificate shows my grades in full detail including the oral exam.

I must have misunderstood the application form and comments I have read here on the forum. People mentioned that you did not need to prove the 5 year history again if you have the Permanent Residence document but I can provide them again with all my passports I have had.

You definitely don't need to prove your 5 year history again if you already have PR. You do need to prove your residence for the last year, though.

[Jambo]

Thank you for the prompt response. Yes, I have passed the course as a Second Language. The certificate shows my grades in full detail including the oral exam.

I must have misunderstood the application form and comments I have read here on the forum. People mentioned that you did not need to prove the 5 year history again if you have the Permanent Residence document but I can provide them again with all my passports I have had.

You don't need to provide the 5 years treaty rights if you have PR. You do need to provide proof of residence (as PR requirements and naturalisation residence requirements are different). Your passport (if cover the period) should normally be enough. Did NCS copy the passport? I don't understand why they require evidence from June if you applied in September.

[Jambo]

You definitely don't need to prove your 5 year history again if you already have PR. You do need to prove your residence for the last year, though.

Treaty rights - no (if hold PR for more than 1 year). Residence - yes for the full 5 years. Not just last one.

[onabanjo]

I have painstakingly gone through your post and please accept my sympathy that you have to go through this with your citizenship applications after similar ones in your past applications, however I think the issues raised are very simply, I say this because few people on this forum had similar issues too and was resolved in their favours after asking for reconsideration of their applications. Your case is much better because you have not been refused but additional documents are being requested.
Firstly, if you are sure the the provider of (English exams) you did before to support your English test requirements were indeed on the list as at the time you did the exams and as the time the application you submitted, make a case by responding to their queries. Secondly, you need to forward your Original Biometric card and International passport even if they are not part of what was requested.
Best of luck.

[Hubba]

You definitely don't need to prove your 5 year history again if you already have PR. You do need to prove your residence for the last year, though.

Treaty rights - no (if hold PR for more than 1 year). Residence - yes for the full 5 years. Not just last one.

I stand corrected. Thanks.

[WebMonkey]

Well, I have now responded to their letter about my application and included all the old passports and P60's, signed letter of employment and a detailed letter explaining that my English Certificate should still be valid, pinpointed it to the exact location where the information is on their website and printed out the page as well. This should hopefully show them that I did have all my boxes checked at the time of the application.... now to wait and see.

[WebMonkey]

I should probably only have started this topic with a clear head and not all this pent up frustration and anger with the UKBA but as I have been told, I do not have much time, I need to get a few facts straight.

A week ago, I received a letter from the Home Office telling me that my English qualification is no longer accepted for applications made after 1 August 2014. I submitted my application on the 22nd of September with an NCS office who double checked everything and it was fine then. Honestly, I was not aware that things had changed as I was refering to the AN Form Guide which is still today, listed on their website and they still mention the so called not application qualification. I had responded to their letter with my original certificate, a print out of the AN Guide and the link that I found the guide on their website with a detailed letter explaining it.

So, today I receive my documents back with a nice refusal letter and the NR Form - Reconsideration of the decision to refuse an application for British Citizenship. It really angers me that they could not have bothered sending a quick email saying, we get your point but the fact still stands that we need this qualification by this date, not a straight out refusal.

My plan now is to go and get this language qualification even though I can speak, read and write English, was taught English from when I was 7, come from an English speaking country but the UKBA does not recognize it as one. Now would that qualification with this NR form suffice to reconsider their decision or am I barking up the wrong tree here and have to cough up another £900ish pounds?

[fwd079]

I should probably only have started this topic with a clear head and not all this pent up frustration and anger with the UKBA but as I have been told, I do not have much time, I need to get a few facts straight.

A week ago, I received a letter from the Home Office telling me that my English qualification is no longer accepted for applications made after 1 August 2014. I submitted my application on the 22nd of September with an NCS office who double checked everything and it was fine then. Honestly, I was not aware that things had changed as I was refering to the AN Form Guide which is still today, listed on their website and they still mention the so called not application qualification. I had responded to their letter with my original certificate, a print out of the AN Guide and the link that I found the guide on their website with a detailed letter explaining it.

So, today I receive my documents back with a nice refusal letter and the NR Form - Reconsideration of the decision to refuse an application for British Citizenship. It really angers me that they could not have bothered sending a quick email saying, we get your point but the fact still stands that we need this qualification by this date, not a straight out refusal.

My plan now is to go and get this language qualification even though I can speak, read and write English, was taught English from when I was 7, come from an English speaking country but the UKBA does not recognize it as one. Now would that qualification with this NR form suffice to reconsider their decision or am I barking up the wrong tree here and have to cough up another £900ish pounds?

This might help you:

http://www.immigrationboards.com/britis ... r#p1038910