Citizenship application taking more than 6 months

[zys]

I applied for Citizenship with my family in mid February 2020 and did biometrics in next few days.
It is 8th month but no correspondence from home office.
I tried various email addresses given on this forum after 6 months of application time, case worker emails don't work and form other emails either no reply or once got a generic reply that some cases may take more than 6 months.
We applied on the basis of 5 years tier 2 + 1 year ILR. No problems in immigration history.

Kindly if others can update if they are also in similar situation and is there any way to get actual update from the home office.

[Zerubbabel]

Hello

Follow this post:

british-citizenship/february-2020-natur ... 97011.html

You will see other applicants who applied in Feb 2020 and what's the status of the their application.

[zys]

Thanks for reply.
I have already seen this and it appears that most of the applicants who have posted there has already got decision.

[Nat23]

Hey
Try calling the naturalisation helpline: 0300 123 2253 (Monday to Thursday 9am to 4:45pm).They tell you about your application in more detail over the phone.
Hope that helps and good luck to you

[CULLINAN]

Follow this thread also:

british-citizenship/biometrics-appointm ... 99581.html

[nnn15]

Hi, my timelines are like yours. I didn't get an approval by email as many of the members of the forum did, but back in April I sent an email to NationalitySupportTeamFMT@homeoffice.gov.uk and they've confirmed the decision on my case had already been made. As I didn't hear anything else, after a couple of months I asked them if they could send me the decision in pdf as I knew other people are getting it, and then they sent me an approval letter in pdf. I haven't heard anything since though, it's been nearly half a year I'm waiting for the paperwork to be dispatched.

Try emailing nationality support, hopefully your application has also been processed already and they would be able to tell you what the outcome.

[Alisher715]

I am in the same situation and applied on 17th of FEB. I sent several emails and only got response that your application is in process and some applications can take more than 6 months. I also contacted my Local MP yesterday hopefully some positive result will come.

[amasoumi]

I am on the same timeline (Feb-2020). sent a chaser and got a response back saying they are carrying out some enquiries through some "agencies" and waiting for the outcome of those "enquiries" from those "agencies".
not sure what enquiries and what agencies... any thoughts???

[Alisher715]

Does Anyone got any result for their application?
I am still waiting.

[zys]

Still waiting.

[Alisher715]

Hi

Does any one got any response?
I am still waiting applied on 17 feb

[Alisher715]

Got this email again after contacting over the phone

Dear Mr

Thank you for contacting UKVI Contact Centre. 

We aim to process all applications within 6 months from the date submitted.  However, in certain circumstances this target is not possible.  As you may be aware, naturalisation is not an automatic process, and we have to make a number of enquiries to ensure that applicants can satisfy the statutory requirements.  Some of these enquiries are carried out by external agencies on our behalf and can sometimes take longer than six months to complete.

Please be assured that as soon as we are in a position to reach a decision, you will be notified accordingly.  You do not need to contact us again unless you need to report a change in circumstances.  

The Home Office will endeavour to process applications as quickly as possible but in the current circumstances, applications will take longer than normal to process, including applications for British Citizenship. If you have submitted an application and are concerned about missing a deadline to enrol biometrics, provide additional information or take a citizenship ceremony, please be assured that extra time will be allowed, and applications will be held open during this period. No adverse decisions will be made on applications because of delays caused by Coronavirus.

UKVI is keen to continually review and improve its service to our customers. To help us to do so we would be grateful if you could complete a short online survey. Please access the survey using the following link:

[Zerubbabel]

what's you immigration history? Were you an asylum seeker?

[Alisher715]

ILR on 10 year basis and waited for 1 year to apply for naturalisation.

[CULLINAN]

ILR on 10 year basis and waited for 1 year to apply for naturalisation.

The above is a generic email. Ignore that. Many have received it. However, it has no connection to the decision pace. Many have got decisions right after this email also.

[zys]

Has anyone who applied in February got decision recently?
Sending emails appear to be of no use, either no reply or generic reply is sent

[nnn15]

Has anyone who applied in February got decision recently?
Sending emails appear to be of no use, either no reply or generic reply is sent

From the timelines on this forum it seems that the HO started sending decisions via email from mid-May. If you look at other applicants' timelines, in many cases it takes less than 3 months to make a decision, a lot of people get an approval email in 1-2 months. If a lot of February applications were processed in March/April, letters or emails weren't sent back then and it's unclear if the case workers came back to it later when they started sending the decision in an email.

I got lucky to get a response when I emailed the nationality support team. The HO never reached out to me, so I don't know when exactly the decision on my application was made. And my ceremony invitation letter hasn't arrived yet although a lot of people approved before July have already attended their ceremonies. I've been unable to get any case-specific information recently.

You can hopefully request an update on the progress on your case as you've been waiting more than 6 months which is their SLA.

[Alisher715]

Eligibility criteria: ILR +1year
Language/LIUK Criteria: UK DEGREE + LiUK
Nationality : Non EU
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 17/02/2020
Payment method: Credit Card (Online)
Date of acknowledgment: 17/02/2020
Date of debit of fees: 17/02/2020
Date Biometrics enrolled: 18/02/2020
Date on Approval letter: 26/10/2020
Date of receipt of approval: 28/10/2020
Date of receipt of ceremony letter: PENDING
Date of Ceremony: PENDING

[zys]

Congratulations!
I am still waiting, applied mid February
Did you contact MP?

[zys]

I am still waiting for decision, applied mid February.
Is any one else has applied in Feb and still waiting OR recently got decision?

[nnn15]

I am still waiting for decision, applied mid February.
Is any one else has applied in Feb and still waiting OR recently got decision?

I suspect the HO oversaw some of the applications with similar timelines.

I applied in mid-February as well. I don't have a secure mailbox and so back in April I emailed NationalitySupportTeamFMT@homeoffice.gov.uk asking if there are any changes to the process due to covid and if they can send a decision via email instead. I got a response, the HO confirmed a decision on my application was made. They didn't say what the decision was though. Despite my application being processed, they never reached out to me to tell the outcome.

I waited for a couple of months, never received any communication from the HO, but saw on this forum that other people were getting their decision letters via email. Then I emailed the nationality support team again and asked to send a decision in pdf - they did respond again and I received an approval letter.

I still haven't received a ceremony invitation letter though. I called the HO help line and they confirmed to me (also in writing) that all the paperwork for approvals up to the end of August has been printed and dispatched. This is a discrepancy as I have an approval letter dated July and haven't received anything.

I suspect our applications were processed in the beginning of the spring lockdown, they didn't properly marked on the system that they should follow up on this. I'm trying to bring to the HO attention that the letters for some of the applications processed before August still hasn't been despatched. I'm not sure anyone is properly investigating this issue though.

Have you tried calling the help line, explaining them it's been 9.5 months and you haven't heard anything? Maybe they could give a status update?