Naturalisation application - Need to travel re Bereavement

[Lenster81]

Hi, I also have a question and wonder if one of the mods or gurus can help.

Re: BIOMETRICS. I applied for citizenship via NCS on 29/04/15; my application reached UKVI on 30/04/15. They've still not deducted the fee, or sent my acknowledgement and biometrics letters. Sadly I've had a bereavement back home and have to travel on an emergency basis on 24/05/2015, and will be gone about a month. My question is, if the letter is sent whilst I'm gone, but it goes over the 15 days for me to enrol biometrics due to me being away, is there a risk my application will be rejected on this basis? It is an otherwise straightforward application: no criminal record, no immigration issues, no financial history issues, etc. I'm just anxious because I know the letter usually says you have 15 working days to enrol biometrics from the date of the letter. I was thinking of phoning or emailing UKVI to say this, but I know they're unlikely to even take my call as it's not been 6 months, blah blah blah. I'm happy to wait the time - Thankfully I used NCS and I have my documents so can travel, but just worried I'd miss my biometrics. Any advice is appreciated.

[egoneo]

they will most likely send you another biometrics letter if you haven't done your biometrics within a certain time limit. The Biometrics limitation they set out in the letter of 15 days is just to scare people to do it as quick as possible so they dont have a pile of applications on their desk

[sanky_001]

Hi, I also have a question and wonder if one of the mods or gurus can help.

Re: BIOMETRICS. I applied for citizenship via NCS on 29/04/15; my application reached UKVI on 30/04/15. They've still not deducted the fee, or sent my acknowledgement and biometrics letters. Sadly I've had a bereavement back home and have to travel on an emergency basis on 24/05/2015, and will be gone about a month. My question is, if the letter is sent whilst I'm gone, but it goes over the 15 days for me to enrol biometrics due to me being away, is there a risk my application will be rejected on this basis? It is an otherwise straightforward application: no criminal record, no immigration issues, no financial history issues, etc. I'm just anxious because I know the letter usually says you have 15 working days to enrol biometrics from the date of the letter. I was thinking of phoning or emailing UKVI to say this, but I know they're unlikely to even take my call as it's not been 6 months, blah blah blah. I'm happy to wait the time - Thankfully I used NCS and I have my documents so can travel, but just worried I'd miss my biometrics. Any advice is appreciated.

Hello!

Based on the current trend for naturalisation timline, it is taking approximately 4 weeks for fee clearance and on the same day, acknowledgment+biometrics letters are sent thru 2nd class mail. So applicants have been receiving the letters between 1 and 5 business days from the date of fee clearance.

So based on your time line, your fee is likely to be cleared by last week of May and you would have time till 2nd week of June to do your Biometrics.

So you may want to plan your travel accordingly as the letter cleary states you will have to do the biometrics as soon as possible.

I might not be accurate but this is my best guess.

Hope if helps!

[Lenster81]

Thanks both for your replies, but Sanky, I can't "plan my travel accordingly", my father has just died and I am going home to be with my family, letter or no letter. I will err on the side of caution and send UKVI an e-mail and try to call them, just to cover myself. I'll also have proof of travel and funeral notices, etc. Surely even UKVI is sensible about these things - I've seen them use discretion for all sorts of law dodgers and overstayers, etc. As I said, my application is straightforward, always within the immigration law, clean CRB/DBS (I work in a profession where you need "Enhanced" DBS clearance), no tax or other issues, etc.

[sanky_001]

Thanks both for your replies, but Sanky, I can't "plan my travel accordingly", my father has just died and I am going home to be with my family, letter or no letter. I will err on the side of caution and send UKVI an e-mail and try to call them, just to cover myself. I'll also have proof of travel and funeral notices, etc. Surely even UKVI is sensible about these things - I've seen them use discretion for all sorts of law dodgers and overstayers, etc. As I said, my application is straightforward, always within the immigration law, clean CRB/DBS (I work in a profession where you need "Enhanced" DBS clearance), no tax or other issues, etc.

I am sorry to hear that Lenster81. My deepest condolences

[hellonewhere]

Thanks both for your replies, but Sanky, I can't "plan my travel accordingly", my father has just died and I am going home to be with my family, letter or no letter. I will err on the side of caution and send UKVI an e-mail and try to call them, just to cover myself. I'll also have proof of travel and funeral notices, etc. Surely even UKVI is sensible about these things - I've seen them use discretion for all sorts of law dodgers and overstayers, etc. As I said, my application is straightforward, always within the immigration law, clean CRB/DBS (I work in a profession where you need "Enhanced" DBS clearance), no tax or other issues, etc.

Hi, please accept my condolences for your loss.


As you applied via NCS, can you contact them and let them know and they might be able to offer you more advice of what to do in such a situation, i.e. they might be able to contact Home Office directly and request for your application to be put on hold.

You can also send a recorded mail to the Home Office yourself and explain the situation and request for your application to be put on hold. I am sure, the Home Office has certain guidance regarding this but unfortunately, I am unable to find it.

Once again, I am really sorry for your loss and appreciate that it's a difficult time for you.

[egoneo]

Thanks both for your replies, but Sanky, I can't "plan my travel accordingly", my father has just died and I am going home to be with my family, letter or no letter. I will err on the side of caution and send UKVI an e-mail and try to call them, just to cover myself. I'll also have proof of travel and funeral notices, etc. Surely even UKVI is sensible about these things - I've seen them use discretion for all sorts of law dodgers and overstayers, etc. As I said, my application is straightforward, always within the immigration law, clean CRB/DBS (I work in a profession where you need "Enhanced" DBS clearance), no tax or other issues, etc.

sorry for your loss.

I can almost guarantee you, they will not reject your application because you didn't submit bio metrics within the 15 (working) days. They will make several attempts to contact you before they do this. Is it possible someone can check if your biometrics letter has arrived? How long do you think you would be away for? if you're away for around a month i wouldn't worry. 15 working days is 3 weeks

[FireballXL5]

Really sorry that you're in this situation.

I would seriously consider not informing UKVI about leaving though. I've learnt the hard way that they are not sensible about these things at all. Assuming any humanity in them is always a mistake. Contacting them to put your application on hold will only make your life much harder.

We had a bereavement during the ILR process and basically the answer they gave was withdraw your application, return to home country and start the whole process again starting from the spouse visa (which means losing not only the fee but the years of continuous residence, meaning we would not be eligible for citizenship now). Also, unlike naturalisation, they had the travel docs, and it would take a month to get them back, rendering the request useless anyway. So we couldn't go to the funeral.

OK. This won't be the case for naturalisation. The worst that will happen is that you will have to apply again at considerable financial cost. But nevertheless, I would seriously consider either just hoping that missing the deadline isn't a dealbreaker. Or, get someone to check your post and fly back to do the biometrics and go back out again. Expensive maybe, but (unless you're going to Australia) a darn sight cheaper than a new application.

Telling them is likely to raise a red flag and a huge bureaucratic procedure that will cause more trouble than it's worth.

If you do contact them, maybe couch it as an enquiry asking what their procedure is when people don't meet the 15 day deadline for legitimate reasons rather than telling them that you are going and put the application on hold.

Of course, you never know with the Home Office. I may be wrong. But my advice would be to just go. If they then reject your application, produce proof of death and plead special circumstances. But don't do this unless you have to.

[Lenster81]

Thanks all for your replies and kind wishes. I've still not had my fee taken out or a letter, etc. I managed to find an old biometrics letter from my Tier 1 application, and on the attached guidance, it says that if you don't enrol in 15 working days, but have a valid reason (I'm sure mine is!), you must contact the Customer Contact Centre who'll tell you what to do. Granted, this letter is 4 years old, but I can't imagine this provision has changed as they must still encounter people who for whatever reason don't get it done in the 15 days. I fly out Sunday, so the latest my letter can arrive and I can get it done before I go is Saturda morning. Failing that, if the letter arrives whilst I'm gone, and if it goes over 15 days, I'll just call and provide info of my circumstances, etc. As I said, I'll have notices, my ticket, the death certificate, etc, my birth certificate to prove relationship, etc.

[Lenster81]

Just to add that counting from the Tuesday 26th May after the bank holiday, I'll be gone for 22 working days, about a month of normal days in total.

[egoneo]

Just to add that counting from the Tuesday 26th May after the bank holiday, I'll be gone for 22 working days, about a month of normal days in total.

It'll be fine, the biometrics letter is sent by second hand post. Post that is not secured can get "Lost", so you could actually contact them claiming you never received one. This is why the 15 days limit is just a loose guidance. There are reasons beyond your control that could stop you submitting your biometrics in 15 days. But like you said you have an incredibly valid reason for not submitting it on time.