Student application

[robkal]

Hi everyone,

I am a Polish citizen living in the UK since 2007. I want to go through the naturalisation process however I am not sure how to proceed with my application.

My mother and I moved to the UK from Poland in 2007 when I was 15. My father had arrived here a year earlier in 2006 and both of my parents worked continuously since their arrival. I went on to complete my GCSEs and A-levels and started an undergraduate university degree in 2009 at 18 years old. I completed it in 2012 and then started a Masters degree straight after. Upon finishing my MSc I worked for a year until October 2014 when I started a PhD which I expect to finish in 2017/2018. My education was funded through UK government student loans and scholarships.

I’ve started looking at the naturalisation process and I believe that I meet all the residency requirements etc. but one aspect which I don’t fully understand is applying while being a student. The forms indicate that I require a “Comprehensive Health Insurance” while at university. I never had private health insurance as I assumed that with my parents and myself working throughout university and being in the UK for 3 years before starting university I was eligible for the services of the NHS. I have in fact used it on a few occasions.
Could you help me understand my current status when applying for naturalisation? The guidelines for students seem to be designed for people who arrived here with a purpose of starting higher education, whereas I arrived here as a dependant of my parents and then went on to study and work.

Thanks for your help,
Rob.