Please Help! Confused with the email from HO

[ruzfactor]

I have received this email this morning. Can someone please explain what's wrong with my application? I was granted ILR on 26 November 2020.


I refer to your application for naturalisation as a British citizen under section 6(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981.

A person applying under this section is expected to have been in the United Kingdom on the actual date 5 years before making the application.

Your application was received in the Home Office on 12 January 2022. You must therefore have been in the United Kingdom on 12 January 2017 to meet the requirement.

According to your application form, you left the United Kingdom on 19 December 2016 and returned on 15 January 2017.

As you were not in the United Kingdom until on 12 January 2017, this requirement is not met.

I am not sure what went wrong.

[CR001]

This has nothing to do with when you got ILR.

For citizenship applications, it is a mandatory requirement to have been physically present in the UK at the start of the 5 year qualifying period. Based on the email, you were not in the UK 5 years ago corresponding to the date you applied for citizenship this year.

[ruzfactor]

This has nothing to do with when you got ILR.

For citizenship applications, it is a mandatory requirement to have been physically present in the UK at the start of the 5 year qualifying period. Based on the email, you were not in the UK 5 years ago corresponding to the date you applied for citizenship this year.

Thanks. I may have missed the point of being in UK exactly on the same day. Shall I proceed with the application? If I withdraw it's a financial loss as well. Any possibility they could do an exemption for those three days? I am really feeling helpless.

[CR001]

There is no discretion to waive this mandatory requirement.

Have you posted the whole email? Did they ask if you wish to redeclare?

[ruzfactor]

There is no discretion to waive this mandatory requirement.

Have you posted the whole email? Did they ask if you wish to redeclare?

This is the email. What would be the best step?

I refer to your application for naturalisation as a British citizen under section 6(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981.

A person applying under this section is expected to have been in the United Kingdom on the actual date 5 years before making the application.

Your application was received in the Home Office on 12 January 2022. You must therefore have been in the United Kingdom on 12 January 2017 to meet the requirement.

According to your application form, you left the United Kingdom on 19 December 2016 and returned on 15 January 2017.

As you were not in the United Kingdom until on 12 January 2017, this requirement is not met.

However, if you contact nationalityfurtherinformationrequests@homeoffice.gov.uk stating that you want to proceed with your application, we will be able to continue our consideration.

If you wish to proceed with the application, please contact nationalityfurtherinformationrequests@homeoffice.gov.uk by 29 March 2022.

If no reply is received by 29 March 2022, the application will be refused and the application fee less the ceremony fee retained.

Yours sincerely,

Nationality Technical Specialist Team
Integrated Casework Directorate

[mmas0112]

There is no discretion to waive this mandatory requirement.

Have you posted the whole email? Did they ask if you wish to redeclare?

This is the email. What would be the best step?

I refer to your application for naturalisation as a British citizen under section 6(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981.

A person applying under this section is expected to have been in the United Kingdom on the actual date 5 years before making the application.

Your application was received in the Home Office on 12 January 2022. You must therefore have been in the United Kingdom on 12 January 2017 to meet the requirement.

According to your application form, you left the United Kingdom on 19 December 2016 and returned on 15 January 2017.

As you were not in the United Kingdom until on 12 January 2017, this requirement is not met.

However, if you contact nationalityfurtherinformationrequests@homeoffice.gov.uk stating that you want to proceed with your application, we will be able to continue our consideration.

If you wish to proceed with the application, please contact nationalityfurtherinformationrequests@homeoffice.gov.uk by 29 March 2022.

If no reply is received by 29 March 2022, the application will be refused and the application fee less the ceremony fee retained.

Yours sincerely,

Nationality Technical Specialist Team
Integrated Casework Directorate

Hey just reply to the email provided before 29th of March say you are happy to proceed. If they sent you any attachments such as your completed application then re-sign it again with the new date and enclose it with the email. If you dont reply back to them by 29th of March they will refuse your application.

[ruzfactor]

Many thanks. They didn't send any attachments with the email. I have replied and requested to proceed with the application. I hope they would consider. I am gutted to miss out on this exact date thing.