British Citizenship - Are your dates correct?

[Kayalami]

Find attached a pm from an old (as in joining date not age ) member 'Dip' who has kindly shared his naturalisation experience. Bottom line is you need to ensure relevant residence dates especially those for actual physical presence in the UK to include the date the Home Office receive your application are exact else you get rejected.

From: Dip
To: Kayalami
Posted: 05 Sep 2005 13:16
Subject: Hello there
Hi dude, how are you? Long time I visited the board. Work has just been too hectic and markets have kept me on my toes all along. Finally there is a cheer on my face, as the greenback falls .. what else do you expect from a cable bull watching the sterling soar ....

I meant to write to you on getting my British Citizenship earlier this year and also a catch in the immigration rules that led to an unnecessary delay on my application. The board has got too complex now and I wasnt sure if this matter is covered - so writing to the expert directly, in case you think its worthy of sharing with others.

I entered UK in 98-99 as an expat with global responsibilities that led me to travel extensively to US, Middle/Far east and Asia. In my passport application there was a long list of absences on Business. I had no idea that the naturalisation eligibility states that you need to be in the UK on the day exactly 5 years prior to the date they RECEIVE the application. I was fine with the date of sending the application but was travelling for 2 days to Singapore exactly 5 years prior to the date they received the application. The application was returned and I was asked to re-sign and date it afresh. Further I had to ensure they received it on a clean date. Tricky as I used to travel 2-3 weeks a month and the dates were all scattered. I held back the re-application till I got a clear window free for 10 days. I think its just a tick box for the person processing the application and proved nothing but a big pain value for me.

Its all done I have my British passport now but I think they are being silly at times. Nevertheless, for guys on the board, please ensure you are in the country exactly 5 years prior to the date they RECEIVE the application. Date mailed is of no relevance.

Regards
Dip

[mon]

I am going to be applying for naturalisation in march, and have left the country for several days at a time in the past five years. some of these I have passport stamps for, but others I don't. I know I was in the country for all of march 5 years ago, and that I have spent a lot less than the limit of days outside the UK, but not sure I can get the dates I have been away exactly correct - does anyone know how important this is?

I have other questions, but ill do them one at a time

[ppron747]

You should try to be as accurate as possible, but so long as you make it clear that some of the dates are "best estimates" you should be OK.

Could you try to assemble your other questions into one post, and put it as a new topic in the body of the forum, rather than up here among the "stickies"? Otherwise the point of the "sticky" gets lost...

[dolores]

I am not sure about the correct time that me and my brother should apply for naturalization. I did arrive in UK in May 1999 and immediately applied for asylum on the same date of entry in UK. I was granted limited leave to remain only for 1 year given the specific medical condition the i had from March 2001 till April 2002. However on August 2001 my brother did join me as well in Uk. He was a minor at the time (still he is) and he was granted discretionary leave to remain from August 2002 till March 2006. On the other hand, after my limited leave to enter expired i did not hear from HO, they always kept saying that my case was under considerations. After many attempts by our Mp they did grant us the ILR under the Family Amnesty in march 2006. I am not sure whether i should apply in march 2007 after 1 year given that my brother has been recognised as legal since 2002 and myself since 2001. In addition my brother will be 16 years old this march (2007) should he appply by himself or with me?

[nokeyak]

Find attached a pm from an old (as in joining date not age ) member 'Dip' who has kindly shared his naturalisation experience. Bottom line is you need to ensure relevant residence dates especially those for actual physical presence in the UK to include the date the Home Office receive your application are exact else you get rejected.

From: Dip
To: Kayalami
Posted: 05 Sep 2005 13:16
Subject: Hello there
Hi dude, how are you? Long time I visited the board. Work has just been too hectic and markets have kept me on my toes all along. Finally there is a cheer on my face, as the greenback falls .. what else do you expect from a cable bull watching the sterling soar ....

I meant to write to you on getting my British Citizenship earlier this year and also a catch in the immigration rules that led to an unnecessary delay on my application. The board has got too complex now and I wasnt sure if this matter is covered - so writing to the expert directly, in case you think its worthy of sharing with others.

I entered UK in 98-99 as an expat with global responsibilities that led me to travel extensively to US, Middle/Far east and Asia. In my passport application there was a long list of absences on Business. I had no idea that the naturalisation eligibility states that you need to be in the UK on the day exactly 5 years prior to the date they RECEIVE the application. I was fine with the date of sending the application but was travelling for 2 days to Singapore exactly 5 years prior to the date they received the application. The application was returned and I was asked to re-sign and date it afresh. Further I had to ensure they received it on a clean date. Tricky as I used to travel 2-3 weeks a month and the dates were all scattered. I held back the re-application till I got a clear window free for 10 days. I think its just a tick box for the person processing the application and proved nothing but a big pain value for me.

Its all done I have my British passport now but I think they are being silly at times. Nevertheless, for guys on the board, please ensure you are in the country exactly 5 years prior to the date they RECEIVE the application. Date mailed is of no relevance.

Regards
Dip

Hi there,

My case is same as yours.

My question is if the application date is the same as the date shown on the receipt of acknowledgement letter or the date shown on Royal Mail tracking system?

Many Thanks..

[muji]

Available to any cheating migrant

Handed out like hot cakes

No wonder us "proper citizens" (in the sense some of us never applied for it with help of the legal gravy train) are ashamed to be british

The americans are too wary of british passports thesedays

[dosknyppxpuxtg]

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make here, but most migrants on this board are well educated, skilled folks who really doesn't fall under your description.

Too bad that because of the failing in the part of UKBA for tackling immigration fraud, phony visa colleges etc. us hard working tax paying migrants get the rap :-/

If UKBA could successfully tackle illegal immigration, there would be no immigration debate today and no new silly citizenship laws either.

Available to any cheating migrant

Handed out like hot cakes

No wonder us "proper citizens" (in the sense some of us never applied for it with help of the legal gravy train) are ashamed to be british

The americans are too wary of british passports thesedays

[anny83]

Hello everyone?

I would really apreciate your help on this.I'm an EEA national and me nd my huband want to apply for citizenship. we have entred the country together on 27 nov 2004,he has a entry stamp in his pakistani passport i dont. how do I prove that we have entered together.? The first employment letter i have got is from 2.3.2005 when i got my first job here. I have attended a First Aid course,that certificate states the date 6th dec 2004, thjats the earliest documentation I could find.Will they accept this?? but that too is dated ten days after our entry date, my partners rp will expire just 13 days b4 our we become eligible. do you think we can still submit our application as you are allowed to apply 28 days before,and how can i prove being in the country???

many thanks

[dee74]

Hello everyone?

I would really apreciate your help on this.I'm an EEA national and me nd my huband want to apply for citizenship. we have entred the country together on 27 nov 2004,he has a entry stamp in his pakistani passport i dont. how do I prove that we have entered together.? The first employment letter i have got is from 2.3.2005 when i got my first job here. I have attended a First Aid course,that certificate states the date 6th dec 2004, thjats the earliest documentation I could find.Will they accept this?? but that too is dated ten days after our entry date, my partners rp will expire just 13 days b4 our we become eligible. do you think we can still submit our application as you are allowed to apply 28 days before,and how can i prove being in the country???

many thanks

I'm EEA either. Just managed to submit my application. Arrived on the 5th of May, employment letter 13th of my. The thing is - EEA are here either as jobseekers or employers. Both counts to the application.
Good luck. And try to get the accurate dates of your absence from the UK - ticket bookings, banking history etc. otherwise you'l have to do a really long covering letter

[manutd666]

First of all I would like to thank all the members on this board, your help and input save a lot of time and hassle. I did not want to open a new thread as I believe my query is related to this topic. Here it goes

I am hoping for my wife to get her IRL on the 1/11/2010 (we have booked an appointment for same day service), as I am a British citizen and my wife has been in the UK for over 5 years, I believed she is entitled to apply for the citizenship as soon as she gets her IRL. She does meet all the requirement:
Entered the UK as a student in 2004
We Got Married in 2008
She had her Married visa in November 2008 (expires 27 Nov 2008)
She has not been outside the UK more than 270 days in the last 3 years ( 162 days) in fact 259 days in the last 6years
And hopefully she will have her IRL the day we send the application.
Now one of the requirements is that she had to be physically present in the UK 3 years prior to the date the home office receives the application.
We went on holiday 3years ago ( 3 Nov and came back on 11 Nov 2007), from the AN guide it says they do not count the day the applicant left the country as well as when they arrive in the UK. So if I am not mistaken, for the home office my wife was away between; 4 Nov 2007 to 10 Nov 2007.
I am thinking to send the application on the 1st of November (still not sure whether by NCS or postal), I am right to say if the home office receives the application the next day (02 Nov 2010) it will be valid? ( as she was physically present in the UK 02 Nov 2007) in fact am I right in saying as long as they receive it before the 04 Nov 2010 then it shouldn’t be a problem?

[geriatrix]

manutd666, while you are right in your inferences but why not apply on / after 11-Nov-2010 and avoid any potential problems? It is a matter of just 1 week!

IMHO ...

regards

[manutd666]

manutd666, while you are right in your inferences but why not apply on / after 11-Nov-2010 and avoid any potential problems? It is a matter of just 1 week!

IMHO ...

regards

First of all I would like to thank you for your response, and I apologise for the duplicate post (thought I posted this message in the wrong thread as no one has responded to it, so I opened a new thread)
Anyway, I and my wife are planning to go to France around January, so we want to send it on the 1 November rather than wait for a week to get her passport sorted before Christmas.
We just hope to get it sorted before Christmas, as we know everything stops round that period (23 December to 02 January). I feel that if I wait for that week we might not be able to go to on holiday ( i.e.: if we send it on 11 November we probably get a reply round the 1st week of December, with the ceremony and passport application we are probably looking round the second week of January 2011). I also feel that if we send the application on 01 November, we probably/hopefully get a reply at the end of November, which will give us more time to sort the ceremony and passport before January.
Obviously there are a lot of ifs and buts in there, what I don’t want to do is risk it really, I mean when I read the forum, as well as the guide and the UKBA website, it seems that it is fine as long as they receive it before the 04 November (as they don’t count the day you leave the country).
So when you say there is a potential problem, is it because if the royal mail go on strike or something like that and the home office wouldn’t get the application form the next day, or is it because even if they receive it on 02 November it doesn’t mean she fulfil the requirement (being physically present in the UK 3 years ago)

Regards

[geriatrix]

If you can make sure that UKBA receives the application before 04-Nov then should be fine.


regards

[manutd666]

If you can make sure that UKBA receives the application before 04-Nov then should be fine.


regards

Thank you for your help and your work on this forum

[John]

What is the hurry? Why not just submit the application on 12th November or later?

[manutd666]

What is the hurry? Why not just submit the application on 12th November or later?

Hi John,

As I mentioned previously, it’s mainly to avoid ( or hopefully to avoid the Christmas period when everything stops) and we are going abroad in January.
But also from what I read, I think that as long as they receive the application form before 04/11/2010 then it shouldn’t be a problem. Especially if I am sending it on a Monday (01/11/2010) in Liverpool and if I am not mistaken the application form is meant to be sent to Liverpool as well.

Regards

[John]

manutd666, assuming the application is made using an NCS office the passports will be handed straight back to you. So going out the country in January would not be a problem. And unlikely that the application would be processed quick enough by January all the way through to issue of a British passport.

[manutd666]

manutd666, assuming the application is made using an NCS office the passports will be handed straight back to you. So going out the country in January would not be a problem. And unlikely that the application would be processed quick enough by January all the way through to issue of a British passport.

Hi John,
I do apologise for the late reply, I was thinking to just send it myself rather than use the NCS, I mean I think as long as the application form is filled in properly and not in a hurry for your documents then there is no point in paying extra.
Now to answer your question, even if I have my wife’s passport I believe she will still need to apply for a visa to go to France ( even if she has the ILR), now this travel is supposed to be a surprise , i.e.: on the day, just say well guess what! we are going Paris today
Now if she has to get a visa to go France it will ruin my plans

Regards

[manutd666]

Just an update!, we did send it on the 2nd and we got the approval today

[sokrates99]

I am in a similar situation. My wife entered the UK in June but did not work until September. She is EEA so has no stamps, the only document that can proove that she was here in June is a council tax bill. Would that be enough or does she have to regard September as the start of the qualifying period and therefore wait till September to apply for naturalisation or can she do it in June ?
Thanks!

Hello everyone?

I would really apreciate your help on this.I'm an EEA national and me nd my huband want to apply for citizenship. we have entred the country together on 27 nov 2004,he has a entry stamp in his pakistani passport i dont. how do I prove that we have entered together.? The first employment letter i have got is from 2.3.2005 when i got my first job here. I have attended a First Aid course,that certificate states the date 6th dec 2004, thjats the earliest documentation I could find.Will they accept this?? but that too is dated ten days after our entry date, my partners rp will expire just 13 days b4 our we become eligible. do you think we can still submit our application as you are allowed to apply 28 days before,and how can i prove being in the country???

many thanks

[goldridgeg]

Hello,

I arrived in the UK (Northern Ireland) on the 1st Sept 2009, flying into Dublin and travelling up to the north.

I did not get an immigration entry stamp in Dublin from a UK immigration official – as there are none. It did not occur to me at the time that this would be a problem. I did get my passport stamped by an Irish official.

The staff at the UKBA in Belfast told me this would only be a problem when naturalisation comes along for me, as I would not be able to prove I entered the UK on this date.

Can anyone clarify this point for me? I can only prove I was in the country from about Nov with bank statements, employment contract etc.

Or is there an option for me to get a stamp "retrocpsctively" as I still have proof of plane tickets etc.

Thanks

[f2k]

I dont think they retrospectively stamp passports especially if you are going back 2 years.

Do you at least have a stamp from Irish immigration when you landed in Dublin?

Collect everything you can, from your booking confirmation for your flights, boarding passes, train tickets or bus ticket or anything to show you travelled on the dates that you claim. Contracts and bank statements are also good even though in your case they only start in Nov, but try to fill in the gap.

If you have official govt documentation e.g NI appointment, NHS card etc that will be really useful

[MB_07]

Hi All,

I am preparing my application for naturalization but a bit confused over when do I qualify. I have come to uk as a student in 2002 and then on 27 Oct 2005 got my workpermit. The passport got stamped on 17th Nov 2005.

I got my ILR approval on 27th October 2010. So I am not sure when do I qualify for naturalization on 27th Oct 2011 when 1 year on my ILR finishes. Or after 17th Nov 2011 when 6 years completes on my ILR + WP times.

Please help.

Tks

[Nazia88]

Hi All,

I am preparing my application for naturalization but a bit confused over when do I qualify. I have come to uk as a student in 2002 and then on 27 Oct 2005 got my workpermit. The passport got stamped on 17th Nov 2005.

I got my ILR approval on 27th October 2010. So I am not sure when do I qualify for naturalization on 27th Oct 2011 when 1 year on my ILR finishes. Or after 17th Nov 2011 when 6 years completes on my ILR + WP times.

Please help.

Tks

you can apply on 27 oct 11.

[MB_07]

Thanks, NAZIA