Applied for citizenship with expired passport

[Shan77]

I submitted joint citizenship and passport application yesterday using NCS.

I came to UK in August 2002 and received ILR on the basis of 10 years long residency in May 2013. I have not travelled outside UK since July 2007.

1. My current passport expired in June 2016 and at my appointment I was asked by the NCS staff to provide additional evidence to prove my residency between July 2016 and March 2017. He asked for p60/wages slips for the duration but I was unable to provide those since I am unemployed for almost 2 years (because my wife is working and I am looking after our child). I gave him my bank statements from July 2016 to March 2017 showing everyday transactions, cash withdrawals, fuel purchase, child tax credit and child benefit amounts received every four weeks. He copied all the pages of the bank statements and included with the application. However, he suggested that this may not be acceptable as residency evidence and they may ask for acceptable evidences.

2. I really got worried and read all the information available on the NCS noticeboard regarding acceptable residency evidence. By reading the information I understood that P60/wages slips/employment letter/ college enrolment letter/ tax credit letter are regarded as acceptable evidence.

3. I have child tax credit award letter dated 6th June 2016 which shows payable amounts from 6th April 2016 to 6th April 2017. On page 3 of the letter it shows my earning (£0) and my wife's earning from 6th April 2015 to 6th April 2016 to calculate the tax credit amount. On the NCS noticeboard it says that tax credit letter can be used as residency evidence if your name and earning is shown on page 3 of the letter for the required duration.

Please note that I need to prove residency for the period between July 2016 and March 2017. My query is:
a. Can I use existing child tax credit letter dated 6th June 2016 which shows payable amounts from 6th April 2016 to 6th April 2017 although on page 3 it shows my name and earning for the period between 6th April 2015 to 6th April 2016.
or
b. Should I call HMRC on 7th April 2017 and request them to provide me a latest Child tax credit letter showing my name and earning from 6th April 2016 to 6th April 2017. (This covers my required residency duration which is July 2016 to March 2017). Will this be acceptable as residency evidence since my earning will obviously be shown as £0 for the duration. Because I really do not understand how this will prove residency when someone's earning for the duration is nil.

c. I have two NHS tax credit exemption certificate cards which I received on post. One was valid from 6th April 2016 to 30 September 2016. Another is valid from 01 October 2016 to 30 April 2017. Are these acceptable as residency evidence for the required duration?

I am very worried and need kind advice from the senior members so that I can send acceptable evidence to the Home Office as early as possible. Thanks in advance.

[vinny]

Can you ask your Embassy for a letter to confirm that they had not issued you a new passport to replace your expired one?

[Shan77]

Can you ask your Embassy for a letter to confirm that they had not issued you a new passport to replace your expired one?

Dear Vinny,
Thanks for your reply.

No, the embassy will not issue a letter unless the Home Office asks for it.

[salmintin]

If I were you I would simply provide everything I've got

Child tax credit letter? Send it. Bank statements? Send them. Tenancy agreement? Send it. Letter from landlord? Send it. Letter from doctor? Sent it. Bills? Send them. Call HMRC. Get a council tax statement. Then send everything.

There is no penalty for sending a mountain of evidence. Sending too little evidence, on the other hand, may end in a refusal. Indeed, it is not the kind of stuff they prefer, but I doubt you will have issues if you send dozens of documents from multiple sources, all in your name, all with your address, all from the relevant time period.

[vinny]

Agree.

[Shan77]

If I were you I would simply provide everything I've got

Child tax credit letter? Send it. Bank statements? Send them. Tenancy agreement? Send it. Letter from landlord? Send it. Letter from doctor? Sent it. Bills? Send them. Call HMRC. Get a council tax statement. Then send everything.

There is no penalty for sending a mountain of evidence. Sending too little evidence, on the other hand, may end in a refusal. Indeed, it is not the kind of stuff they prefer, but I doubt you will have issues if you send dozens of documents from multiple sources, all in your name, all with your address, all from the relevant time period.

Thanks for your kind advice. All my monthly council tax instalments for 2016-17 were paid over the phone (automated payment service) using my debit card. And I have the reference number for each and every payment. My bank statements also have the transaction records. Can I request council to send me a statement with these payment records?

[Shan77]

Agree.

Thanks a lot for the link.