AN application date

[katlond2007]

Hello,

I am in the process of applying for naturalisation but have come across a potential issue and wanted to ask your advice before forking out £1300!

I am a EEA national and in the UK since 2012. Initially employed (until early 2015). In early 2015 I registered as self-employed, and since then my income consists of self-employed work, short-term employment contracts, and casual worker contracts (I'm a research scientist; my work comes from a number of UK universities). I applied for/was granted indefinite leave to remain (under EU settlement scheme) in March 2019. From April 2019 onwards, I have had to reduce my work load (considerably) due to illness, and so have very little income for the 2019/2020 tax year.

My question now is, do you think the fact that I was only able to work very little in 2019/20 will be an issue for my application? (I have now resumed my 'normal' work load, but of course this won't show officially until the next tax return....) I worry my application will be refused based on not working enough in 2019/20.

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give.
Kat

[CULLINAN]

Your employment is meaningless for naturalisation. You could be unemployed for last 10 years does not matter. However, if you are self-employed, you will have to provide latest self-assessment tax return. Does not matter what your income is though.

[secret.simon]

There is no requirement for you to have been employed for the purposes of naturalisation.

However, there are two other separate requirements that may be impacted by your work history.

As an EEA citizen, your passports would not have been stamped on entry to the UK. Employment is one way of proving that you were resident in the UK in the absence of passport stamps. You may therefore need an alternate form of proof that you were resident in the UK for the past five years. Can your employers provide you letters stating the periods of time that you were employed with them?

Also, as an EEA citizen, you will be required to prove that you were either working in the UK or have CSI (Comprehensive Sickness Insurance, aka private health insurance). Your tax returns for the relevant years will help there.

[katlond2007]

Thank you both for your reply. I have P45s/P60s for all of my employments/casual worker contracts, and can provide invoices for my times of self-employment (plus self assessment statements). I also have council tax bills for all my years of residence.

I thought that despite not getting a passport stamped, there is still a record of entering/exiting the UK (my husband has requested/received this record from the HO to help with dates of absence for his application...)

I registered as self-employed in 2015 and had income from self-employment in all years since then. Would I still have been required to get CSI, to cover times when I wasn't working (despite always looking for more work)?

Many thanks again for your help.

[katlond2007]

I just remembered another question... does the CSI requirement apply to under 18s (who are students) as well? My daughter is a secondary school student but has not had CSI; would this mean her application would be refused? x

[alterhase58]

As I understand it children don't need CSI - they get Settled Status on the basis of their parents.
Children (under 18s) are registered ("slightly" cheaper and don't need to take tests or attend ceremony).
Recommend you review the guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... 1-guidance

[secret.simon]

Children's registration can depend on where they were born and what the UK immigration status of the other parent is (if the child was born outside the UK). So what is the UK Immigration status of the other parent (or do you have sole custody)?

[katlond2007]

Thank you for responding.

My daughter was born in the UK; both myself and her dad EEA nationals (but not married yet at the time of her birth). Her online application did ask about details of where she was born, what our immigration status was at the time etc. but there wasn't any question about CSI.

Am slightly worried about my own application regarding CSI, as despite being registered as self-employed I worry that they might argue I didn't work "enough" in 2019-20 and therefore I should have had CSI for that time.... all so confusing!

[alterhase58]

As was pointed out there are no earnings requirements/expectation for naturalisation - even if you made losses or were unemployed.
CSI policy requirement was aimed at people exercising treaty rights as "student" or "self-sufficient", not workers or self-employed. It was a health policy, not intended to supplement earnings. As a lawful UK resident you are entitled to NHS treatment, even if you are unemployed.

[katlond2007]

Hello.

Filling out the AN form - and not sure how to answer the question of when I first arrived in the UK:

- 2002 when I came for an interview (first time ever in UK)
- 2003 when I started uni (stayed until 2010)
- 2012 when I moved to UK again (stayed ever since)

I feel like it should be 2012 as that is basically the start of the period that my application is based on; but feels incorrect and dishonest somehow?

Sorry if this has been asked before, had a bit of a look around but still unsure what would be right. Thank you for your help.

[CULLINAN]

It will be the entry when you came with the intention of a long stay i.e. 2003. But obviously you only need to list absences for your qualifying period i.e. 5 years or 3 years (if married to BC).

[katlond2007]

Brilliant thank you.

[katlond2007]

A quick question regarding the online application. Once submitted, how long do I have to upload my supporting documents? And is that via the HO application website, or do I need to use some sort of an app for the upload? Thanks!

[CR001]

Topics merged!

[CR001]

A quick question regarding the online application. Once submitted, how long do I have to upload my supporting documents? And is that via the HO application website, or do I need to use some sort of an app for the upload? Thanks!

Via ukcvas portal

[katlond2007]

Thank you CR001.

[katlond2007]

Hello,

What will be considered the application date - the date of online AN form submission & payment of fees; or the date when biometrics appointment is done?

Thank you.

[secret.simon]

the date of online AN form submission & payment of fees

This.

[katlond2007]

Brilliant thanks!

[CR001]

Please keep all your questions on the same application in one topic. Topics merged.

[katlond2007]

Thanks CR001, will keep all my questions here on this thread.

Just wondering if anyone has had any luck with booking a biometrics appointment recently? I saw that they say appointments can be booked 28 days in advance so I check in every day, but whenever I have a look the newly released day is already fully booked... so wondering if they are released at a specific time each day?

[alterhase58]

There have been discussions about this in other threads - it seems the appointment release time is somewhere between midnight and very early morning when also free appointments may be available: search.php?keywords=release&t=299581&sf=msgonly

There is a dedicated thread:
british-citizenship/biometrics-appointm ... l#p1968106

[katlond2007]

Hello all,

another quick question regarding my application.

I have my biometrics appointment next week, and have just received an email from UKVCAS that they checked my documents. All fine except my passport scan is somehow not to their liking, and they state "please ensure the full biodata and observations pages are uploaded together in one image". I assume they mean "in one document" rather than "In one image" as this would be technically tricky to achieve, but I'm really not sure what's wrong with my scan - I did scan all pages of my passport and uploaded them as one single document, and also made sure it's not above the maximum allowed file size...

Anyone have any ideas what I might have done wrong with the scan? I will take the passport to the appointment of course, but wouldn't want them to have to re-scan and charge me even more money for it if I can avoid it!

Thank you!

[CULLINAN]

Document Checking Service is a waste. Just upload your full passport in 1 PDF file in the “proof of application” category. You will not have any issues.

[katlond2007]

Thanks Cullinan.

I had all pages in one PDF before - will just re-scan and hope they'll like the next version better.....

I had to book the Document Checking Service as that's the only one available where I live - no 'free' appointments anywhere near us sadly. I was pretty annoyed having to fork out another £70 per person for something that I always assumed was already included in the application fee... Anyway I'm glad I'm nearly at the end of the process now, just hope it wasn't all for nothing!

Thanks again, really appreciate your quick reply.