Naturalisation application processing timelines (only)

[revelation21]

Eligibility criteria: Minor child (<2 years old), 2 weeks+ after parents + child gained ILR
Proof of language: not required
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 17/03/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 28/03/2024
Biometrics location: Croydon (Free)
Date of receipt of approval: Pending
invitation from the council: Pending
Date of Ceremony: Pending

Thought it would be super quick for a child with very little life history - but hasn't been the case! >3 months now but still within 6 months so not emailing or escalating yet.

[atto_lost]

Spouse+Kid

ILR+3 years

Application submitted:18-April-2024

Bio-metrics : 01-May-2024 (Glasgow Paid)

Application Approved: TBD
Ceremony: TBD

Approval mail from HO : 08-July-2024 16:30 PM
Invitation mail from Ceremony received : 08-July-2024 11:30 AM
Ceremony booked: 1-AUG-2024
Waiting for Approval email

[Nania09]

Eligibility criteria: Tier 2- General Visa -5 years ILR- 12 months.
Nationality: Filipino
Proof of language: IELTS-UKVI/ Academic
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 19/04/2024
Date of debit of fees: 19/04/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 30/04/24
Biometrics location: Leeds (Paid)
Date of receipt of approval: 8/7/24
Date of Ceremony: tbc

I have a friend same timeline with me who’s married to a BC and had her approval & ceremony in less than 2 months. Good luck to all of us waiting.

* E-mail from local council came in 1601H and Approval e-mail at around 1625H. Good luck to everybody waiting.

[Cuckuu]

Eligibility criteria: Tier 1 -General Visa -8 years ILR
Nationality: Indian
Proof of language: Engineering Degree in English
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 14/04/2024
Date of debit of fees: 14/04/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 24/04/24
Biometrics location: London (Paid)
Date of receipt of approval: 8/7/24
Date of Ceremony: tbc

Worth the wait but it seems application processing is progressing at good pace and many thanks to HO case workers who worked during election month as well to clear backlogs..

[hoods24]

Application submitted: 16/03/2024
Biometric: 27/03/2024
Proof of language: B1
Approval: 08/07/2024
Eligibility: Refugee status

Red flags: Immigration breaches nearly 10-12 years ago.
Declared in cover letter.

Good luck to everyone and thanks for sharing your experiences to help others.

[rusty31]

Eligibility criteria: settled status + 1year (EU and non EU partner)
Language: New Zealand Passport
Method of application: 20/11/23 online
Biometric appointment: 7/12/23 (Mark Lane London)
FNE email 19/2/24 and 20/3/24 with no responses
Date of receipt of approval: pending
Date of Ceremony: pending

Not sure how else to follow up as no responses from FNE every time we follow up

Just received email from MMST Workflow saying our application will take longer than 6 months with note including:

The progress of outstanding enquiries is regularly monitored with the agencies carrying out these enquiries on our behalf. It is only when we have the results of the enquiries that we can reach a decision on whether citizenship should be granted. We do not, ourselves, carry out these checks and we cannot, therefore, be sure how long they will take in each case.

Update:
8/4/24 - Emailed MP asking for assistance in chasing up matters as had been almost 5 months with no info. 23/4/24 - Response is that within 6 month timeline so no further information
24/4/24 - Received automated email from MMST workflow saying aim to process within 6 months, however "Following our assessment of your case, unfortunately it appears your application will not be processed within the 6-month target"
21/5/24 - Escalated with Minister of Migration (Tom Pursglove) as this has worked with other candidates. However told that he is only allowed to assist his constituents in Corby & East Northampshire. "In the spirit of being helpful" however has forwarded onto the home office and they will reply directly (I don't think anything will really happen here)
23/5/24 - Formal complaint raised with gov.uk website. Will waiting response but hoping this escalates process.

Has been 6+ months now since application, and will be 6 months since biometrics in a week. No idea how to speed this up, especially seeing some people approved within 6 weeks! Will hopefully hear back soon

Eligibility criteria: settled status + 1year (EU and non EU partner)
Language: New Zealand Passport
Method of application: 20/11/23 online
Biometric appointment: 7/12/23 (Mark Lane London)
FNE email 19/2/24 and 20/3/24 with no responses
Date of invitation from council: 6/7/24
Date of receipt of approval from home office: 8/7/24
Date of Ceremony: pending (will be booking post some upcoming holiday)

Almost 8 months for my process so glad its over! I received an SAR request back on 5/7 right before the council invite stating my application had actually been approved 25/6/24 and included details on my application (escalating to MP, escalating to Minister of Migration, requesting updates and finally making a complaint). The complaint and complaint review seemed to bring it back to the top of the list so potentially something that helped it last even longer past 6 months!!

[mumakk]

Eligibility criteria: Private life (Came here as a child & lived here 23 years) + ILR for 1 year
Nationality: Jamaican
Proof of language: Jamaican + Life in the UK test
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 27/04/2024
Date of debit of fees: 27/04/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 13/05/2024
Biometrics location: Croydon
Date of receipt of approval: Pending
Date of Ceremony: Pending

Feels like the last hurdle. My brother applied a month before me & got approved in exactly 6 weeks! Im just hoping it doesn’t go over 6months for me

[Mariaines2024]

24 years living in the UK with EU passport. Finally decided to apply for citizenship.

Eligibility criteria: BC Spouse
Nationality: EU
Proof of language: B1 + LITUK
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 11/06/2024 (online)
Date of debit of fees: 11/06/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 08/07/2024
Biometrics location: Oxford (Free)
Receipt of approval: Pending
Ceremony date: Pending

[chesterton]

Eligibility criteria: 24 years in the UK, 5 years IRL
Nationality: German
Proof of language: B1 certificate + Life in the UK test
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 19 June 2024
Date of debit of fees: 19 June 2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 1 July 2024
Biometrics location: Smethwick (£143)
Receipt of approval: Pending
Ceremony date: Pending

[rkmtrk]

Eligibility criteria: 4 years ILR, Spouse of British Citizen
Nationality: Indian
Proof of language: Masters Degree
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 29/04/2024
Date of debit of fees: 29/04/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 10/05/24
Biometrics location: Edinburgh (Free)
Date of receipt of approval: 08/07/24
Date of Ceremony Invitation:05/07/24
Date of Ceremony: tbc

2 months 6 days in total, so a quick turnaround time. I received my ceremony invitation first before the Atlas email, just waiting on a private ceremony as free ones are not available until September in Edinburgh
Thanks everyone on this forum, helped me estimate on how long would my application take, good luck to everyone else waiting

[followup]

Eligibility criteria: 5 years spouse visa + ILR (2 weeks)
application submitted: 14 Dec 2023
Date of biometrics appointment: 19 Dec 2023
Biometrics location: Aberdeen - Paid
Date of receipt of approval: 01 Jul 2024
Date of Ceremony: 10 Jul 2024

Thanks all for sharing your timeline, helped a lot, all the best to whom is still waiting

[jakino]

Eligibility criteria: 1 year ILR (5-year T2G/Skilled worker)
Proof of language: IELTS from T2G application
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 08/04/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 21/04/2024
Biometrics location: Mark Lane London
Date of receipt of approval: 25/06/2024
invitation from the council: None (instruction to arrange ceremony was included in the approval letter)
Date of Ceremony: 17/07/2024

[Mcunning98]

Eligibility criteria: Zimbabwean, Refugee, 21 years in UK (came here as a child), ILR 11 years.
Proof of Language: Undergraduate degree taught in the UK + Life in the UK test
Method of Application: Online
Date of Application: 09/04/2024
Date of Debit of Fees: 10/04/2024
Date of Biometrics: 21/04/2024
Biometrics location: Bristol, Kingswood (paid)
Date of receipt of approval: 08/07/2024
Date of ceremony: 18/07/2024 (private) - next free appointment was at the end of August and want to avoid going through visa application for a holiday in September.

Did not receive email from council inviting me to ceremony - just email from Atlas telling me I’ve been awarded citizenship and to contact my local council. Also worth noting I never received an email from UKVI about receiving docs like other people have, this may be due to the fact I paid for document scanning at my appointment.

Good luck everyone with their applications!

[cfgbc54]

Application Timeline
Eligibility criteria: 5 years Tier 2/SW Dependent + 6 months ILR (applied as BC spouse)
Nationality: Non-EU
Language: Trinity College SELT test
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 27/04/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 14/05/2024
Date of receipt of approval: 09/07/2024 (~2.5 months )
Date of ceremony: 05/08/2024

Thank you everyone for sharing your experience here! And separate thanks to moderators and admins who are keeping this forum actual and to the point!

Good luck with applications!

[revelation21]

Eligibility criteria: Minor child (<2 years old), 2 weeks+ after parents + child gained ILR
Proof of language: not required
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 17/03/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 28/03/2024
Biometrics location: Croydon (Free)
Date of receipt of approval: 11/07/2024 (certificate of naturalisation as she's a minor; no email from Home Office Atlas)
invitation from the council: n/a
Date of Ceremony: n/a

Thought it would be super quick for a child with very little life history - but hasn't been the case! >3 months now but still within 6 months so not emailing or escalating yet.

Received her naturalisation certificate today with a certificate date of July 4 and cover letter dated July 8. Interesting to think it was already making its way through the system when I posted the comment above. Approx. 15 weeks from Biometrics.

Thanks all posters for your updates!

[thuynmac]

Eligibility criteria: 1month ILR, 5yr Spouse of BC
Nationality: Vietnamese
Proof of language: BA Degree
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 22/04/2024
Date of debit of fees: 22/04/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 24/04/24
Biometrics location: London (Paid)
Date of receipt of approval: Pending
Date of Ceremony Invitation: Pending

Good luck to all of us waiting.

[L226]

Eligibility criteria: year ILR, 5yr work visa
Nationality: South African
Proof of language: UK degree
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 24/04/2024
Date of debit of fees: 24/04/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 01/05/24
Biometrics location: London (Paid)
Date of receipt of approval: 01/07/24
Date of Ceremony Invitation: 01/07/24
Date of Ceremony (earliest available): 15/08/24

[sbay]

Eligibility criteria: 5 years, spouse of a BC, ILR<1 month
Language: University degree, Life in the UK Test
Method of application: online
Nationality: Russian
Date of application: 12/11/2023
Date of biometrics & supporting docs submission: 19/11/2023
Date of receipt of acknowledgement from UKVCAS: 19/11/2023
Date of receipt of approval: pending
Date of Ceremony: pending

Just received an email from MMST Workflow:
We aim to process all applications within 6 months from the date submitted. However, in certain circumstances this target is not possible. Following our assessment of your case, unfortunately it appears your application will not be processed within the 6-month target.

By way of background, naturalisation is not an automatic process, and we must make several enquiries before we can reach a decision on whether to grant citizenship.

The nature and extent of those enquiries, and the length of time taken to complete them, varies according to the circumstances of each application.

The progress of outstanding enquiries is regularly monitored with the agencies carrying out these enquiries on our behalf. It is only when we have the results of the enquiries that we can reach a decision on whether citizenship should be granted. We do not, ourselves, carry out these checks and we cannot, therefore, be sure how long they will take in each case.

I appreciate that Gov.uk website gives the following information in relation to waiting times for naturalisation applications:

"All applications for citizenship are subject to enquiries to ensure that the statutory requirements have been satisfied. Because of these enquires, we anticipate that applications may take up to six months to complete. Some applications may be dealt with more quickly and some may take longer, depending on the nature of the enquiries to be carried out".

As you will note, it is also made clear on the website that, in some cases, these enquiries may take longer than average to complete. You will appreciate the need to be careful and thorough in such matters.

These enquiries are still ongoing regarding your application, and we are sorry for the delay. We aim to make a decision on your application as soon as possible.

Have no idea what happening there.....

11.07.2024 Received an email from Further Nationality Enquiries confirming that my application has been approved.

[NikNik23]

Eligibility criteria: spousal visa + IRL 9+ years
Nationality: american
Proof of language: american passport + life in uk
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 12/04/2024
Date of debit of fees: 12/04/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 26/04/2024
Biometrics location: Manchester (paid)
Date of receipt of approval: Pending (Register's Office email 12.07.2024)
Date of Ceremony: 31.07.2024

Very excited that this is complete. Thank you for this forum. Good luck everyone.

[ronnie87]

Eligibility criteria: EU Settled Status + 1 year
Proof of language: Master's Degree taught in English
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 17/02/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 12/03/2024
Biometrics location: Cambridge
Date of receipt of approval: Pending
invitation from the council: Pending
Date of Ceremony: Pending

4 months from biometrics and nearing 5 months from application, still waiting

I applied at the exact same time as my fiancee, who has received her approval in May. Before submitting the application, I had an immigration lawyer review it and they said it was a very straightforward case: EU citizen wit settled status, in continuous employment with the same company sincs 2018, all tax returns completed and paid in time, haven't been out of the country for more than <30-40 days per year, etc.

I can't imagine what can take so long, but I'll wait for the 6 month deadline to pass before emailing them for an update.

[ice_candy_me]

Eligibility criteria: EU Settled Status + 3 years
Proof of language: bachelor's degree UK
Nationality: Non-Eu
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 30/04/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 03/05/2024
Biometrics location: Croydon
Date of receipt of approval: Pending
invitation from the council: 12/07/2024
Date of Ceremony: 13/08/2024

I would like to thank this forum so much, I'm so grateful for the help I was able to have during my application.

[Aofangel]

Eligibility criteria: 10 years private life but was given early concession ILR after 5 years + 1 yr ILR


Nationality: Nigerian
Proof of Language: B1 test + LITUK

Method of application: Online
Date of application: 5th March 2024 (online)
Biometrics appointment: 9th March 2024 (PAID)
Biometrics location: Croydon

Receipt of approval: 20 May 2024 (Atlas Email)

Council ceremony invitation LETTER by post: 23 May 2024

Ceremony date: 1st July 2024.

[chicken]

Eligibility criteria: 5yr Skilled Worker + 1yr ILR
Nationality: Non-EU
Proof of language: IELTS
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 15/04/2024
Date of debit of fees: 15/04/2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 10/05/24
Biometrics location: Mark Lane (free)
Date of receipt of approval: pending
Date of Ceremony: pending

[dejan83]

Application Timeline
Eligibility criteria: 4 yr EUSS+1.5 yr BC spouse
Nationality: Bosnian (Non-EU)
Proof of language: B1 certificate + Life in the UK test
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 01 May 2024
Date of debit of fees: 01 May 2024
Date of biometrics appointment: 15 May 2024
Biometrics location: Liverpool (Paid)
Date of receipt of approval: Pending
Date of Ceremony: Pending

[Aall007]

Eligibility criteria: tuisian, Refugee, 30 years in UK (came here as a child), ILR 11 years.
Proof of Language: Undergraduate degree taught in the UK +
Life in the UK test
Method of Application: Online
Date of Application: 29/05/2024
Date of Debit of Fees: 30/05/2024
Date of Biometrics: 02/06/2024
Biometrics location: Enfield (paid) £150
Date of receipt of approval: pending
Date of ceremony: pending