ILR over Polish Citizenship

[nicgentile]

I'm a Kenyan with ILR for UK. In about three months, I will become a Polish Citizen. My girlfriend is Ethiopian and will also become a Polish citizen. The application forms are about to be submitted, but we are not sure of a couple of things. My girlfriend has never been to UK, just Poland, and I work here in London. She is currently in Ethiopia visiting her unwell mother. The Polish ID and passport will be issued while she is there. The main thing is that we wanted Polish citizenship as we plan to settle in Gdansk late in life, and we pretty much have spent a lot of time there. The main questions are, when I get both our passports and IDs, I am going to Ethiopia, and we will be returning to London together. Cause she went back to Ethiopia using her Ethiopia passport, does she first have to go back to Poland with her Ethiopian passport, and then assume her Polish citizenship or can I go over with her passport and she can use it from there. It makes not much of a difference but for cost/benefit ratio, it would work if she used the passport from there. The other question is, since I become a Polish citizen, will I have to wait another 5 years to get ILR again? Its no big issue, just weighing down my options.

Any advice?

[Marco 72]

If you are thinking of applying for British citizenship in the future it might make more sense to use your Kenyan passport with ILR whenever you enter the UK. That way it will get stamped and you will be able to use it as proof of residence, without having to bother with letters from employers and the like. When I applied for naturalisation I was asked to provide additional proof of residence, since my Italian passport didn't get stamped when I entered or left the UK.

[John]

nicgentile, I agree with Marco, I think you should continue to use your Kenyan passport with its ILR. That way you don't have any problem needing to register on the WRS as a Polish citizen!

Your girlfriend? As and when she has her Polish passport she can use it to enter the UK .... from wherever! That is, she can use it to enter the UK from Poland, Ethiopia, France, indeed from any part of the world.

Of course your girlfriend will need to register on the WRS if she starts an employment.

If you don't mind me asking, how do a Kenyan and an Ethiopian end up with Polish Citizenship?

[nicgentile]

I went to visit Poland a couple of years ago for one week, ended up staying longer than the intended visit (4 years) and bought a house. Which I am selling since its not in Gdansk. She on the other hand was visiting Poland (her friend worked in the UN, previously in Ethiopia but posted to Poland), met me, and ended up staying longer as well (3 years). I am a software developer so I was working for a UK company which did not kind me working thru the web. She was into advertising so she worked as a creative for a small ad agency. Thru a friends lawyer, we were able to get the required documentation in Poland for long term stay with no hassles. But the citizenship thing in Poland is what we want. I don't know why, but we are much happier in Gdansk than anywhere else. I am not really keen on UK citizenship, to me its over hyped and complicated with exams and all, I am more interested in Polish citizenship. Its a simple lifestyle and we are simple folk.

[nicgentile]

Since I have ILR, I agree I have to apply for WRS. Is it a big issue?

[JAJ]

If you don't mind me asking, how do a Kenyan and an Ethiopian end up with Polish Citizenship?

Especially a Kenyan who has lived long enough in London to get ILR.

[John]

Since I have ILR, I agree I have to apply for WRS. Is it a big issue?

Sorry? Surely given that you have ILR you do not need to register on the WRS!

The route to Polish citizenship ... interesting! So how long does one need to have a connection with Poland before qualifying for citizenship?

[nicgentile]

Poland is three years, but I learnt from our friends lawyer that a beneficial commitment to the country is enough to speed up things. Buying a house was enough, and the lawyer handled the rest. Poland is really cool, especially if they get to understand your long term commitment there. For me, its home.

ILR, well, that was the usual long term stay, but I was angry when they changed the rule. Goal post further, company lawyer, and an interview later, I got it. I don't want to speculate on any unorthodox tactics employed, but it was a really big company, and they took care of it. But now we went our separate ways, so I want to do this one on my own. No favours. Nada.

[nicgentile]

Since I have ILR, I agree I have to apply for WRS. Is it a big issue?

Sorry? Surely given that you have ILR you do not need to register on the WRS!

The route to Polish citizenship ... interesting! So how long does one need to have a connection with Poland before qualifying for citizenship?

If I become a Polish citizen, then I will have to register on the WRS right? Cause I wont be using my Kenyan passport anymore. Or I can still use my Kenyan passport for some stuff here and Polish passport for travel to Poland. Makes sense, cause I am confused as hell

[raina]

Nicgentile- Is your lawyer based In Gdansk?

If he is able to get you citizenship after just 3 years its really a lawyer with the right connections.

My parents incidentally are living in Poland also and own a flat in Warsaw.

They want to apply for citizenship too.

Can you give me this lawyers contact if you are happy with his work?

[John]

If I become a Polish citizen, then I will have to register on the WRS right?

No! For a start, if you read the "small print" as regards the WRS, you are actually exempt, given that you have ILR already. Compared to your girlfriend, she will definitely need to register on the WRS, if she wants to become employed.

What is your intention now? Do you intend to proceed to become a British Citizen. once you have had ILR for at least one year? If that is the case, as already pointed out earlier in this topic, continue to use your Kenyan passport with its ILR to enter the UK until you get your British Citizenship.

Apart from that, use whatever passport is appropriate. And welcome to the world of dual nationalities! My wife is both British and Thai. So when we fly from the UK to Thailand, the British passport is shown at the airport on the way out, and the Thai passport on arrival at Bangkok. On the way back, the reverse, Thai passport shown at the airport on departure, and the British passport on arrival back in the UK.

[Marco 72]

According to the website of the Polish NY consulate you need to have lived in Poland for at least 5 years with a permanent residence permit in order to naturalise, although exceptions can be made in "particularly justified" cases.

[nicgentile]

According to the website of the Polish NY consulate you need to have lived in Poland for at least 5 years with a permanent residence permit in order to naturalise, although exceptions can be made in "particularly justified" cases.

Hence the Lawyer.

Raina, I will pass on your details to the man if u can PM them to me. I don't know he would appreciate me forwarding his details without his permission, so I can give them to him and he will contact you if he can proceed.