Naturalisation an passport process quesries

[JT67ILRqns]

@ Cullinan

I hope you don’t mind but we have followed you here from the corresponding ILR SET(M) board. We received our SET(M) ILR yesterday. Thank you again for your help with ILR guidance.

I think you are a couple of months ahead of us in this process and thought that after the excellent advice you provided on ILR, that you might be able to provide us with similar pointers for naturalisation / British passport process. With that in mind and not having really looked at official guidance at all yet (we are still celebrating ILR at this point), please could you provide any input on the following questions ?

Process :
- How long typically is the process taking at the moment (with COVID backlogs) from when you submit to actually receiving the passport ?
- Are we right in thinking that this is the process …. Complete & submit the form / pay / upload documents including referees declarations / attend a biometrics appointment / attend a ceremony ?
- Does the one form (submission) cover both the naturalisation piece and the application for the passport ?
- Can you travel whilst this process is progressing (no need to send current passport or surrender ILR BRP as part of this application) ?
- In terms of availability, all you need to ensure is that you are available to attend a biometrics appointment towards the start of the process and the ceremony at the end ?
- Does the process again require documents eg correspondence for address ; bank statements ; marriage certificates ; wage slips etc etc ?
- Are we right in thinking that the only ‘time in the UK’ requirement, is that you have not been out of the UK for more than 270 days in the last three years (for a married partner of a British spouse)

Referees :
- Is there a standard template / standard wording that the two referees sign / date / address or do they need to come up with their own wording ?
- What are the rules on who can and can’t be a referee ?

Appointments :
- Typically, the earliest biometric appointment that you will be able to find is 28+ days away, unless you are lucky enough to find a cancellation ?
- You only have a maximum of 45 days from submission to attend the appointment ?
- Typically is it reasonably easy to find a free appointment or do you usually need to pay and if so, how much ?

Do you have any other general advice ?

As you’d expect, we have the Life in UK and B1 English certificate that were used for ILR SET(M)

Thank you in advance for any assistance that you can offer.

[CR001]

I have split your post from the general biomtric topic as your initial questions are not relevant for that thread.

- How long typically is the process taking at the moment (with COVID backlogs) from when you submit to actually receiving the passport ?

Naturalisation application can take up to 6 months, sometimes longer. Then add a couple months while waiting for a ceremony date. Passport can take up to 6 weeks.

- Are we right in thinking that this is the process …. Complete & submit the form / pay / upload documents including referees declarations / attend a biometrics appointment / attend a ceremony ?

Yes, but you only attend the ceremony once your application is approved and you have received the ceremony invitation letter.

- Does the one form (submission) cover both the naturalisation piece and the application for the passport ?

No. Passport can only bee applied for as a separate application AFTER you have attended the ceremony.

- Can you travel whilst this process is progressing (no need to send current passport or surrender ILR BRP as part of this application) ?

Yes free to travel. The ilr brp is only returned to UkVI after the ceremony.

- In terms of availability, all you need to ensure is that you are available to attend a biometrics appointment towards the start of the process and the ceremony at the end ?

Yes.

- Does the process again require documents eg correspondence for address ; bank statements ; marriage certificates ; wage slips etc etc ?

No

- Are we right in thinking that the only ‘time in the UK’ requirement, is that you have not been out of the UK for more than 270 days in the last three years (for a married partner of a British spouse)

Yes and no more than 90 days in the last 12 months. There is also a mandatory requirment to have been physically present in the UK at the start of the 3 year qualifying period.

Referees :
- Is there a standard template / standard wording that the two referees sign / date / address or do they need to come up with their own wording ?
- What are the rules on who can and can’t be a referee ?

1. It's part of the online form, which you then print at the end and paste a photo of the applicant on and each referee has to sign it. Upload them with all other documents.
2.
Appointments :you need one profession, see page 24 in the link below, of any nationality. The other referee must be British and over 25 years of age. They both list have known you for at least 3 years.

- Typically, the earliest biometric appointment that you will be able to find is 28+ days away, unless you are lucky enough to find a cancellation ?

Yes.

- You only have a maximum of 45 days from submission to attend the appointment ?

Yes, working days.

- Typically is it reasonably easy to find a free appointment or do you usually need to pay and if so, how much ?

Free appointments are scarce. Fees for appointments vary.

Do you have any other general advice ?

Read the guidance notes.

[CULLINAN]

Adding on what @CR001 already has advised see:

british-citizenship/apply-for-citizenship-t313098.html

Note: You do not need to wait 1 year on ILR as you are married to a British Citizen unlike the topic I posted above.

Please keep any follow up questions you may have in your own thread here.

[CULLINAN]

Suggestion for booking biometrics appointments, might be helpful to new users:

You have 45 working days to book an appointment (excluding Sat/Sun) after online submission. These days biometrics appointments are running at a 28 days lag i.e. you get an appointment for the 28th day unless you get to find an earlier cancellation.

My suggestion:
1) Login UKVCAS booking system 12 AM midnight GMT to look for appointments.

2) Look for different centres and locations if you are willing to travel.

3) Look continuously for 3/4 days regularly (after submission and before booking a slot) to find an earlier cancellation or free appointments during the day/after midnight. For free appointments look especially between 6am-9am in the morning.

4) If you fail and can not find any earlier cancellations or free appointments for next 3/4 days after submission, book one logging in at 12 AM midnight GMT. You will get one for the 28th day (has to be a week day for better availability). If the 28th day is a Sat/Sun, availability will be almost nil.

I would suggest you try your luck for 3/4 days before you book one. Once you book an appointment, you will not be able to see any more availability.
Cullinan

[CULLINAN]

British Passport:

(CAN only apply after you get the Naturalisation Certificate i.e. after all the above steps are completed).

See guidance:

https://www.gov.uk/apply-first-adult-pa ... ply-online

https://www.gov.uk/confirm-identity-onl ... pplication

Note: Apply ONLINE, do NOT apply by post.

You will need a digital photo.

Before you will apply online, you will have to arrange someone to confirm your identity online (see guidance above). Online application is pretty efficient and simple. You will be able to track it at every stage.

Once your identity is confirmed online, you will post the documents as per HMPO’s address generated at the end of online application.
Send via Special Delivery and pay for £5 extra for secure return.

Documents needed ALL originals posted to HMPO:
1) Certificate of Naturalisation.
2) Current Foreign passport (AND any UN-cancelled passports (if any).


Steps:
1) Apply online and pay. £75.50 plus £5 secure return.
2) Ask someone to confirm identity online.
3) Post documents to HMPO.

PS When application is successful. Original Documents will be returned in a separate envelope and British passport will come separately. Sometimes both parcels come on the same day or could be different days.

Courier Used: TNT
These days it takes around 2-3 weeks to get a British Passport in majority cases.
Cullinan

[JT67ILRqns]

CR001 and Cullinan thank you very much indeed for your input. Apologies that I originally posted my questions on the wrong board. I will read through the various links and come back to you if I have further questions. Thanks again.

[JT67ILRqns]

Hi Cullinan / CR001,

Please could you answer a couple of questions regarding REFEREES for the naturalisation process ?

I have found the following guidance, included in the online form :
Referees must:
• not be a relative, solicitor or agent of the applicant
• not be related to the other referee
• not be employed by the Home Office
• know or have known the applicant personally for more than 3 years
• they are willing to give full details of their knowledge of the applicant
• advise the Home Office of any reason why the applicant should not be registered
Referees must also not have been convicted of an imprisonable offence. A single non-custodial sentence may be disregarded if:
• it did not occur within the last 12 months
• there is strong evidence showing that the referee is of good character

Give your first referee's details. This referee must be the holder of a British Citizen passport (and either a professional person or over the age of 25)

Give your second referee's details. This referee should be a person (of any nationality) who has professional standing. This can include a minister of religion, civil servant or a member of a professional body such as an accountant or solicitor (who is not representing you with this application).


My questions are about HOW this referee part of the process works.

For my first referee (holder of British Citizen passport and over 25 years old), is the process electronic or do I need to have passport photos taken, stick them onto a hardcopy form and get a wet ink signature ?

For my second referee (professional standing), I intend to use a person from my home country (non UK). How does this work ? Is the process electronic or do I need to send a hardcopy copy document for him to sign in wet ink and post back to me ?

If the process is electronic, I assume I should obviously let both referees know to expect something from UK VI ?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

[CULLINAN]

1) You input referees details in the online form before submission.

2) You download the referee declaration and get it signed (wet signature preferably). The passport photo is yours.

3) Scan and upload with the documents.

4) Keep originals safe till a decision is made.

PS: Referees are very rarely contacted (almost nil).

[JT67ILRqns]

Thank you, Cullinan.

And for the avoidance of doubt, where the referee is overseas ... is it necessary to get a wet ink signature eg I have to post it to him and he has to post it back ? Or can he download it, sign it and scan a copy back to me ?

[CULLINAN]

Thank you, Cullinan.

And for the avoidance of doubt, where the referee is overseas ... is it necessary to get a wet ink signature eg I have to post it to him and he has to post it back ? Or can he download it, sign it and scan a copy back to me ?

Some members reported getting electronic signatures and had no issues.

[JT67ILRqns]

Thanks again.

Presumably then if there is ambiguity, not to mention the time lost in posting documents from overseas and the risk of them being lost, the strong advice would be to come up with two British referees ?

Is that a fair assumption ?

[CULLINAN]

Your referees should both be UK residents. Not necessarily a British Citizen for both though.
If someone who lives in UK is temporarily overseas on vacations etc, that is a different thing.

[JT67ILRqns]

Yes, that makes sense. Thank you.

One last question for now, in terms of the passport photo, does it need to be an actual physical passport photo (from a booth or professionally taken) or will an electronic photo that meets the size and quality requirements be sufficient (that can be electronically cut and pasted onto the form) ?

Thanks again.

[CULLINAN]

Physical photo.

[JT67ILRqns]

Hi Cullinan,

Following your help (thank you very much indeed) we submitted the naturalisation form around 3 weeks ago and we now have the biometrics appointment at the end of next week.

We have already uploaded all of our own documents and did NOT buy that service.

With that in mind, what should we expect from the biometrics appointment next week :

- Is it simply taking finger prints and photos ?
- Based on the experience of others, how long is the appointment likely to last ?
- I assume that it is best practice to take all of the original documents that we uploaded (just in case) but are they likely to look at any of these ?
- If we take those uploaded documents, and details of the appointment, is that all that we need ?

As ever, any guidance would be much appreciated.

Thanks again.

[alterhase58]

Hi Cullinan,

Following your help (thank you very much indeed) we submitted the naturalisation form around 3 weeks ago and we now have the biometrics appointment at the end of next week.

We have already uploaded all of our own documents and did NOT buy that service.

With that in mind, what should we expect from the biometrics appointment next week :

- Is it simply taking finger prints and photos ? Yes.
- Based on the experience of others, how long is the appointment likely to last ? No experience.
- I assume that it is best practice to take all of the original documents that we uploaded (just in case) but are they likely to look at any of these ? You are free to take your documents but UKVCAS will not check that everything is correct. They are 3rd party employees, not UKVI caseworkers.
- If we take those uploaded documents, and details of the appointment, is that all that we need ? OK, don't forget passport/BRP.

As ever, any guidance would be much appreciated.

Thanks again.