Applying for naturalisation outside of the country

[leighsabine]

Hi, me again

I can apply for Naturalisation on 13 March 2012. I fly out the country on the 8th.

I know it says in the form "you should not send an application
direct to the Home Office if you are outside the UK at the time you make the application."

I will be using the NCS, so does this rule still apply?

The other thing is - my passport expired 6 Feb and in order to travel I will be using a one way Emergency Travel Certificate from my home country. The expired passport is the one I will be using in my application.

Ok to go ahead still with my application? Will the HO know I've left then?

Thanks so much!

[Jambo]

Even with NCS, you can't apply before you are eligible so if you are leaving the country 5 days before you are eligible, you can't apply.

Have you got an appointment already with NCS? Some NCS first question your eligibility before booking an appointment. If during the appointment NCS will realise your are not eligible, they will not process your application.

Don't try to bend the rules. If you need to be urgently back in your home country, go there and return later to complete your naturalisation. If you don't intend to live in the UK in future, then you don't meet the Future Intentions requirement and your application should be refused.

[leighsabine]

Thanks again Jambo.

So if I left on the 13th, that would be ok?
How would they know what date I have left the country?

I am keeping my property here and do intend to return after a few years most likely.

[Jambo]

Not good enough.

If you don't intend to live in the UK after becoming BC, you do not meet the requirement (unless you join the British Army which I presume you don't). Keeping property and planning to return in a few years does not meet the requirement.

The minimum the country can ask from its residents (including non citizens) is to obey to the rules. Your line of questioning hints that you decided not to follow the rules and just worried if you going to get caught.

I wonder if the emergency passport was all part of a great plan to travel on a new travel document unknown to the HO. I suspect that if you would have been approved, you would be on the first plane back to the UK to attend the ceremony and you would not ask if there are ways around it.

Sorry for being sarcastic but I don't like when people abuse the system and it seems that that is your intention.

[leighsabine]

Not good enough.

If you don't intend to live in the UK after becoming BC, you do not meet the requirement (unless you join the British Army which I presume you don't). Keeping property and planning to return in a few years does not meet the requirement.

The minimum the country can ask from its residents (including non citizens) is to obey to the rules. Your line of questioning hints that you decided not to follow the rules and just worried if you going to get caught.

I wonder if the emergency passport was all part of a great plan to travel on a new travel document unknown to the HO. I suspect that if you would have been approved, you would be on the first plane back to the UK to attend the ceremony and you would not ask if there are ways around it.

Sorry for being sarcastic but I don't like when people abuse the system and it seems that that is your intention.

Thanks for the reply. Just to clarify - my intentions are exactly the opposite of what you think. In fact, I'm desperately trying to educate myself so that I don't break any rules, I don't think I've ever broken a rule, big or small in my life. My leaving was a chosen date and chosen without being fully informed and is causing me untold stress actually. Why would I choose to leave a mere 5 days before application?

All this is the result of some bad advice from my lawyer who told me they would send my application in when I was out of the country and so I didn't even know this was a potential problem until now.
The lawyer also said I could apply on the basis of the years preceding the letter from the Home Office stating family member, as long as I could prove durable relationship (which I can since 2003). Now I'm not sure this is the case and decided to wait till now in case that information was incorrect.

In addition, the emergency document was in no way intentional...it has actually been very distressing, time consuming and costly, and all because I was too busy giving birth and looking after a new baby to notice my passport expired and would take minimum 6 months for my embassy to re-issue.

My husband's British company is sending him to their office in our home country (while they need him there).
Anyway, thanks for your time and I appreciate the advice you have given me thus far. If I'm not eligible, then I'm not eligible. I don't intend to break any rules.

[vinny]

All this is the result of some bad advice from my lawyer who told me they would send my application in when I was out of the country and so I didn't even know this was a potential problem until now.

Unfortunately, you cannot apply in the UK if you are not in the UK on the date the UKBA receives your application.

See also Processing your application.

Can you postpone your travel date?

[leighsabine]

All this is the result of some bad advice from my lawyer who told me they would send my application in when I was out of the country and so I didn't even know this was a potential problem until now.

Unfortunately, you cannot apply in the UK if you are not in the UK on the date the UKBA receives your application.

See also Processing your application.

Can you postpone your travel date?

Thank you. Yes I can, but at a huge expense (non-changable tickets).

[Jambo]

Thanks for clarifying that. Hope no offence was taken. sometimes people misinterpret other's words and I'm sorry for doing so.

NCS will ask you to stay in the country for 5 days after the appointment to make sure that you are still in the country when the HO receives your application. You will need to move your travel date to the 18th.

[leighsabine]

Thanks for clarifying that. Hope no offence was taken. sometimes people misinterpret other's words and I'm sorry for doing so.

NCS will ask you to stay in the country for 5 days after the appointment to make sure that you are still in the country when the HO receives your application. You will need to move your travel date to the 18th.

Thank you. No offence taken, totally understand how I was misunderstood. This is all so confusing to me and I'm stressing a lot about it hence the amount of questions. I'm just grateful for the advice I'm given, especially after being misinformed so many times by lawyers and NCS.

I've just called the travel agent - almost £800 to change the flights. What an expensive mistake I made. Am kicking myself big time.
Should I include my travel itinerary in my application? What is the process for notifying the HO that my address has changed and will this affect the application?

[leighsabine]

Just an update - I have now changed my travel plans (a lot of money later! ) to 5 working days after my appointment.

Thank you all for your very helpful advice - just wish I had asked for it way sooner and saved myself the stress and expense!

[dasjoker]

Not good enough.

If you don't intend to live in the UK after becoming BC, you do not meet the requirement (unless you join the British Army which I presume you don't). Keeping property and planning to return in a few years does not meet the requirement.

The minimum the country can ask from its residents (including non citizens) is to obey to the rules. Your line of questioning hints that you decided not to follow the rules and just worried if you going to get caught.

I wonder if the emergency passport was all part of a great plan to travel on a new travel document unknown to the HO. I suspect that if you would have been approved, you would be on the first plane back to the UK to attend the ceremony and you would not ask if there are ways around it.

Sorry for being sarcastic but I don't like when people abuse the system and it seems that that is your intention.

Now I am confused for example I became British Citizen then after few months if i would leave the other country for living in another country, would i lose my citizenship?

[vinny]

Should I include my travel itinerary in my application? What is the process for notifying the HO that my address has changed and will this affect the application?

Read the Chapter 6: General Information very carefully (link given previously). Also Chapter 18.