New citizenship form UKF

[Antsmall]

Mikeg333, I saw that you mentioned in another thread that there was a date in May before which applications from the USA wouldn't be subjected to the biometric requirement. Could you perchance let us know what that date in May was and/or where you got the information? The only indication about 'rollouts' that we have is this thing
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... ule_v2.pdf
which suggests July as the date for the 'rollout' in 'the rest of the world' (including the USA), but it does not refer to any date in May for the USA or any date before which applications from any given country would be exempt from the new biometric requirement.

Thanks very much! And also thanks for letting us know that your scary letter was followed by a rather swift approval, which is very encouraging for those who have also received the scary letter.

bfrenchfry I would still have hope as I received the same exact letter saying an outstanding policy issue and mine would be decided on December 24th. Two weeks after I got that letter I got my approval. I don't think they are requiring biometrics from US applicants until they have set it up.

As far as getting your passport back I tried that online form never got a reply. I emailed the FurtherNationality address that I had urgent travel as I was flying internationally and they had someone contact me within a few days to arrange the return of my passport.

[bfrenchfry]

bfrenchfry I would still have hope as I received the same exact letter saying an outstanding policy issue and mine would be decided on December 24th. Two weeks after I got that letter I got my approval. I don't think they are requiring biometrics from US applicants until they have set it up.

As far as getting your passport back I tried that online form never got a reply. I emailed the FurtherNationality address that I had urgent travel as I was flying internationally and they had someone contact me within a few days to arrange the return of my passport.

That's so good to know! I'm going to not get my hopes up as I've just been feeling cursed through this whole experience, but it would really be a nice early Christmas present to finally be approved.
And yes, I wrote to the further nationality email last week trying to track down my passport, so hopefully they'll respond with some helpful information

Congrats on your approval!

[Antsmall]

I now gather that the other person who received this 'outstanding policy issues' letter has in fact completed their biometrics. Therefore we know that it's not the biometrics though we don't know what it is - and we know through Mike that the letter doesn't necessarily indicate a major problem of some kind. Perhaps it's just a form letter that they send whenever the application approaches the six-month mark. Who knows.

[bfrenchfry]

Perhaps it's just a form letter that they send whenever the application approaches the six-month mark. Who knows.

That wouldn't surprise me at all. Mine was dated exactly 5 months from my application date, so it might just be their idea of protecting themselves...

[Cloverbea]

SO.....I had a thought today....
after speaking with immigration ....again.....

what if....the reason there aren't many UKM/UKF form folks here or in the world because they also called the Passport advice line and were told they were eligible for a passport, they applied and got it and that was the end of it....

We were told to call immigration, after calling another immigration line, only to be told to call the other immigration line.....oh my word. And of course they won't say a word to you if you are under the six month mark....The immigration officers I spoke to didn't understand why I hadn't paid an application fee, but when I told them it was a ceremony fee they told me my application MUST be in process since I paid the APPLICATION fee.....?!?! None of them communicate whatsoever, so hubby is thinking to get his paperwork back and apply for his passport :/ This is nuckin' futs.....

[bfrenchfry]

SO.....I had a thought today....
after speaking with immigration ....again.....

what if....the reason there aren't many UKM/UKF form folks here or in the world because they also called the Passport advice line and were told they were eligible for a passport, they applied and got it and that was the end of it....

We were told to call immigration, after calling another immigration line, only to be told to call the other immigration line.....oh my word. And of course they won't say a word to you if you are under the six month mark....The immigration officers I spoke to didn't understand why I hadn't paid an application fee, but when I told them it was a ceremony fee they told me my application MUST be in process since I paid the APPLICATION fee.....?!?! None of them communicate whatsoever, so hubby is thinking to get his paperwork back and apply for his passport :/ This is nuckin' futs.....

I thought about just applying for a passport originally, but that doesn't make you a citizen does it? I've heard horror stories of trying to get housing in London without being a citizen. Apparently the fines are so steep for letting a flat to an illegal that no one will even think of it. Also, the passport application pages haven't been updated yet and all still claim you need to send your parents marriage certificates if your father was the English one. I can't imagine many of the passport people are going to be familiar with UKF type applications either. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the letter was automatically issued at 5 months, and since I applied in April don't need to do biometrics, and my approval will be in the mail shortly....

[bfrenchfry]

Well I have another update, though still not a good one sadly. I just got my passport back in the mail along with a letter saying "once work begins on your application we may need to request them again but please do not send them until we write to you requesting them".
They also enclosed one letter that is the acknowledgement of reciept which I had never received before today.
Then the third letter enclosed first calls my application UKM which is wrong, it's UKF. It says "from April 6 2015, applicants for British citizenship must enrol their biometric identifiers as part of the application process." Then blah blah "unfortunately it has taken longer than we expected to put in place the necessary technical infrastructure and this has meant that we have been unable to schedule biometric enrollments". Then in bold it says "we now expect this to be resolved by October 2015, when we will be able to invite you to arrange your enrollment visits. We will contact you again in October to explain what you need to do next."

So there is only 1.5 weeks left of October. Wonder when they think they're contacting me to enrol. I'm still holding out hope that like mikegg I don't have to actually do it since I applied before the roll out in May. All their letters are such stock nonsense and no one ever knows what they're talking about. All I can do is pray...

[Cloverbea]

Oh wow, thats crazy. It seems so out of sorts the information you're receiving.
I hope you get a good resolution soon, it seems crazy that you're getting certain information that doesn't even pertain to you. If you aren't required to get biometrics, then you should be done by now :/

On a personal note, we haven't received one of those letters yet stating anything about policy issues....we haven't received anything, I don't know if that's good or bad. You'll continue to be in my thoughts, and I'll update if anything is heard on this end!

[mikeg333]

Well I have another update, though still not a good one sadly. I just got my passport back in the mail along with a letter saying "once work begins on your application we may need to request them again but please do not send them until we write to you requesting them".
They also enclosed one letter that is the acknowledgement of reciept which I had never received before today.
Then the third letter enclosed first calls my application UKM which is wrong, it's UKF. It says "from April 6 2015, applicants for British citizenship must enrol their biometric identifiers as part of the application process." Then blah blah "unfortunately it has taken longer than we expected to put in place the necessary technical infrastructure and this has meant that we have been unable to schedule biometric enrollments". Then in bold it says "we now expect this to be resolved by October 2015, when we will be able to invite you to arrange your enrollment visits. We will contact you again in October to explain what you need to do next."

So there is only 1.5 weeks left of October. Wonder when they think they're contacting me to enrol. I'm still holding out hope that like mikegg I don't have to actually do it since I applied before the roll out in May. All their letters are such stock nonsense and no one ever knows what they're talking about. All I can do is pray...

I received all of these type of letters as well. I think their right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. I've already received my approval letter yet still getting email responses about waits from emails I sent 6 weeks ago! So, that shows you that those letters are auto generated.

I received approval w/o having to do biometrics and my case worker explained that was because it is not setup in the US yet. I assume once I get a UK passport and arrive in the UK I will have to do some sort of biometrics during my passport interview.

I'm doing my ceremony in a few weeks but I am going for a 2 month trip to London soon. Does anyone know if I can enter with my US passport and my registration certificate? I won't have time to get a passport before I arrive. Essentially once my ceremony is done I am a British Citizen so not sure they can deny me entry but won't have a UK passport to enter with.

[Antsmall]

Mikeg333 and Bfrenchfry, when did you apply again? I seem to remember that Bfrenchfry applied around the 27th or 29th of April. What I'm trying to determine is whether the date has any influence on this.

Yes, it seems that these people are clueless and inconsistent in many ways. For instance, they seem to be telling Mikeg333 that the absence of biometric infrastructures in his country of residence exempts him (or her?) from the biometric procedure, thereby expediting the application process, while telling Bfrenchfry, who quite possibly applied at the same time, that the very same absence of these infrastructures means that the application is entirely on hold: more or less the opposite response to the same condition.

It could be anything. It could be that UKM applications (that is Mikeg333's category I believe) are being handled by another set of people who react in different ways compared to those handling UKF applications: the unpredictable 'human' element. It could be that since UKM applications have existed for longer and UKF applications are new, UKF adds another layer of confusion for these already rather... inept individuals or triggers a mental emergency state which causes them to be especially officious.

I applied in May so I'm waiting for my 6-month letter any day now - or its alternative, namely nothing at all for an indefinite amount of time. Somehow I've got so used to hearing nothing from these people that I can't imagine hearing from them ever again.

[bfrenchfry]

Mikeg333 and Bfrenchfry, when did you apply again? I seem to remember that Bfrenchfry applied around the 27th or 29th of April. What I'm trying to determine is whether the date has any influence on this.

Yes, it seems that these people are clueless and inconsistent in many ways. For instance, they seem to be telling Mikeg333 that the absence of biometric infrastructures in his country of residence exempts him (or her?) from the biometric procedure, thereby expediting the application process, while telling Bfrenchfry, who quite possibly applied at the same time, that the very same absence of these infrastructures means that the application is entirely on hold: more or less the opposite response to the same condition.

It could be anything. It could be that UKM applications (that is Mikeg333's category I believe) are being handled by another set of people who react in different ways compared to those handling UKF applications: the unpredictable 'human' element. It could be that since UKM applications have existed for longer and UKF applications are new, UKF adds another layer of confusion for these already rather... inept individuals or triggers a mental emergency state which causes them to be especially officious.

I applied in May so I'm waiting for my 6-month letter any day now - or its alternative, namely nothing at all for an indefinite amount of time. Somehow I've got so used to hearing nothing from these people that I can't imagine hearing from them ever again.

My application is dated mid-April (can't recall the date off hand, but the date they signed for and received it is April 29th, so I hit 6 months next week. I wouldn't be surprised if they treat UKM and UKF separately, but I don't know which mikeg33 did and got approval on. Some other forum members said they get people on the phone that tell them their applications are in progress, and then they get approval letters dated weeks beforehand. No one sending letters, answering emails, or the phone over there have any clue what they're doing. It's endlessly frustrating

[Antsmall]

Ok, I found Mikeg333's timeline in another thread on this forum (sorry, I don't intend to look like a stalker, and this is publicly posted information so I hope I don't come across as creepy).

Eligibility criteria: UKM
Language criteria:
Current nationality: American
Method of application: Post
Date of application: 08/04/2015
Payment method CC/DC, Personal cheque, Bankers cheque etc: Credit Card
Date of receipt by UKBA: 14/04/2015
Date of debit or clearance of fees: 22 April 2015
Date of acknowledgment: 20/04/2015
Date of biometric: not required
Date approval received: 16 Oct, 2015 (Dated 7 Oct, 2015)
Date of ceremony: Waiting

So yes, Mike applied slightly earlier and that might be why the biometric thing wasn't required, but it was only received a couple of weeks earlier than yours, Bfrenchfry. "What a difference a day makes..."

It's also quite 'interesting' that they took two months to even take my fee and send me a stock email acknowledgement (sans reference number or any such thing) while in Mikeg333's case it took eight days, despite the fact that we are both applying from the dreaded shores of gringoland which they don't seem to like awfully much. Hmm, the consistency of these people!

And yes, it is indeed endlessly frustrating and they do appear to be confused. Or, continuing with the theme of harvesting our feelings from slightly old popular music, "I second that emotion".

[anahamilton]

To all who have already received the biometrics letter: I have a friend in UK who is not in this forum who received her biometrics letter this week - it stated that they had already sent a previous biometrics letter, which she never received, and that they are giving her another 30 days to do the biometrics which she will do, of course. Nevertheless, she is worried that her documents might have been lost if they were sent back with the first biometrics letter - never received.

So, the question is: do they send the documents with the biometrics letter?

Meanwhile, nothing new for me.

[lagos1980]

To all who have already received the biometrics letter: I have a friend in UK who is not in this forum who received her biometrics letter this week - it stated that they had already sent a previous biometrics letter, which she never received, and that they are giving her another 30 days to do the biometrics which she will do, of course. Nevertheless, she is worried that her documents might have been lost if they were sent back with the first biometrics letter - never received.

So, the question is: do they send the documents with the biometrics letter?

Meanwhile, nothing new for me.

I applied from the UK, and neither the biometrics letter nor the acknowledgment letter (which arrive together) came with any other document, so she can rest at ease.

Has anyone applying from the UK reached their 6 month mark yet? I'm at 3 months.

[paul29]

My daughter's application passed 6 months over the weekend so today I called the number and excitedly selected the "longer than 6 months option" and asked if it was possible to get some kind of update, but unfortunately, the answer was that they are unable to give any information over the telephone.

I asked if there was somebody that I could call, email or write to that would be able to give me an update and the answer was again no, but it was followed up with slightly better news that if I called again during the first week of November, they would take my details, refer the case and somebody would call me back.

So anybody who like me was counting the days until the six month mark, add a few more days on, as it seems that they can't refer a case that reaches 6 months until the beginning of the following month.

Not completely unreasonable upon reflection.

[jon365]

I am in the UK and the 6 months expired today. Still no news, nothing, zilch. I contacted my MP last week who has made enquiries. I will let you know if I hear anything.

[lagos1980]

I am in the UK and the 6 months expired today. Still no news, nothing, zilch. I contacted my MP last week who has made enquiries. I will let you know if I hear anything.

Thanks for the info Jon.

[padhme]

Hi everyone, I have been a long time lurker of the forums but decided to post today as reading posts of those in the same boat has given me solace in knowing I'm not alone, and that my case is not particularly special if there are others waiting with me as well.

I applied on April 16th 2015 (UKF) and to this day have not heard back from them at all save for regarding my biometrics which I've done in May. I am in the UK. I have contacted my MP who has made enquiries, and emailed HO for the second time. I will let you guys know if I hear anything. The wait is excruciating but knowing there are others in the same boat does provide some relief. Here's hoping we all get good news very soon. Take care everyone.

[paul29]

I am not so sure that knowing others are in the same boat is reassuring.

I would prefer to hear that other applications had received Citizenship and that the Home Office was working through them slowly but surely. The idea that there is now an increasing pile on another desk doesn't give me a lot of hope that any of us will hear positive news any time soon.

[Antsmall]

At any rate, it's definitely a good idea for those of us who are in Britain to speak to their MPs. Hopefully if enough MPs investigate this there will be some progress. Alas those of us who are abroad are unable to help in this particular way because we have no MPs, as it goes by residence.

It's deeply bizarre that even those who have done their biometrics are experiencing these long delays. The biometrics appears to be one factor in the slowness of the process (at least for people abroad) but it clearly isn't the only factor, because if not people wouldn't still be in the dark half a year after finishing the biometrics. I'd be interested to know if other citizenship routes are experiencing similar delays.

[paul29]

Cases in the MN1 thread (which in my opinion are not likely to be less complicated than a UKF application) are running a lot quicker at around 2 to 4 months judging by the timelines.

Of course, these people paid a lot more than most of us but we didn't set the fees so we shouldn't be penalised for paying less

[Antsmall]

I wonder about the UKM applications. I haven't found a unified thread for them. They should be quite similar to ours, so if those are notably faster then something is really amiss.

Could it really be that they prioritise people who paid more? Is it really about money? (I'm not saying it's not. It just hadn't occurred to me that they'd be quite so cynical. Then again I wouldn't put it past them).

One would think that applications based on parentage would be straightforward. I wonder if naturalisations, which I imagine are more complicated because they involve more factors and more variety, are also going faster than ours. (I know people who naturalised and they had to provide boatloads of information, unlike us). I just can't get my head round why our cases, in particular, are so slow. It's as if we're just not a priority - just as we weren't a priority when it came to amending the law, despite the fact that there were calls for this very reform in parliament since at least 1981. Is this discrimination continuing even now?

[jon365]

An update.

After my post on Thursday I received an email, in response to an email I sent 6 weeks before, saying a decision had been made and a letter was in the post. Today I received our documents back and a letter saying our application had been successful. It said the certificate will follow within 2 weeks. I think contacting our MP has had an effect so I would encourage people to do that if they can. I sympathise with those oversees who cannot.

Anyway, my thoughts are with everyone still waiting and I sincerely hope you all receive some good news soon.

Good luck and all the best.

[Antsmall]

Congratulations! And it's encouraging that some progress is being observed in UKF cases. Let's hope that these people will get a move on.

[paul29]

Fantastic news Jon, thank you for sharing.