British Citizenship and Referees

[RAMZUS]

hi guys
I sent for my BC last Friady, i wonder if i did the right thing or not by using 2 persons to act on my application form as a referee ;
The first person is a driving instractor and he is a holder of British passport
The second one is an accountant and he s a holder of British passport as well
I will appreciate if anyone can tell me if that will be fine for The HO or Not ??
CHEERS

[Gyfrinachgar]

The first person is a driving instractor and he is a holder of British passport
The second one is an accountant and he s a holder of British passport as well
I will appreciate if anyone can tell me if that will be fine for The HO or Not ??

Sounds reasonable and like a good selection of referees. In case HO is not fully satisfied (which, in my eyes, is fairly unlikely), they will simply ask you for a third reference. In any case, no need to worry.
Good luck!

[RAMZUS]

thanks Gyfrinachgar

[Myb]

would be ok using two british teachers as referees on my application ?
thanks you

[Gyfrinachgar]

would be ok using two british teachers as referees on my application ?

Absolutely. Teachers, accountants and registered driving instructors are recognised as professionals by HO, see here. In both your cases, both your references are British and professionals (theoretically, one each would already have been sufficient). So as long as the remaining criteria are met (knowing you for at least three years, no unspent offences, etc.), you are both definitely fine.

[RAMZUS]

I think one of them has 6 points for speeding , do u think he will alright as a referre??

[Gyfrinachgar]

I think one of them has 6 points for speeding , do u think he will alright as a referre??

Yes. I just double-checked to be sure: "unspent conviction" was imprecise of me, sorry! It must not have been an unspent *and* imprisonable offence in the last 10 years. Two FPNs will not disqualify someone from acting as reference in any case, and you don't need to know about your reference's FPNs to begin with. You'll be fine.

[RAMZUS]

cheers buddy

[RAMZUS]

I applied under catg of 3 years spouse of BC , and i stayed all the 3 years with 0 days absence from UK, I wonder how long its gonna take??

[Gyfrinachgar]

I applied under catg of 3 years spouse of BC , and i stayed all the 3 years with 0 days absence from UK, I wonder how long its gonna take??

One can never really tell how long it takes. Everything from 1 month to 12 months is possible. 95% of appications are processed within 6 months, though. If everything is in order, and if HO can quickly confirm everything they need to know, 3 months processing time is usually a fair bet. Since application numbers are currently down a bit (there is always a spike in summer), you may get lucky and only have to wait one or two months - but I wouldn't count on it. It can just as well take 6 months. You can see current processing times in the monthly clubs ... and please enter your own data in the November club as well.

[RAMZUS]

aye m8 as u said we r nae sure how long it takes , but as far i know during this time a year nbrs of applications for BC rise up , do u think so?

[Gyfrinachgar]

during this time a year nbrs of applications for BC rise up , do u think so?

Yep, just checked the statistics. The first quarter is with an average of 56.3k applications always the busiest. The third quarter is usually the most peaceful with an average of 40.5k applications, and the last quarter, which we are in, has an average of 46.9k. Not too bad. In addition to that the very last statistics indicate a considerable drop in overall numbers, most notably in visas, which dropped to the lowest recorded levels (assumed to be due to policy changes).

[Mordoklej]

Do they contact referees at all? They didn't contact mine.

[Gyfrinachgar]

Do they contact referees at all? They didn't contact mine.

Not as a rule. HO will usually only contact references if something appears to be out of order (caseworkers manual: "references will not automatically be taken up.").

[sensm]

Hi Gyfrinachgar

I got my ILR on 15th dec 2011.(5yr WP) and be eligible to apply for BC after 15th dec 2012.All my dependents also got ILR at same time.

Please help with the following -
• Where to find this number on Passport or other documents?((1.1 Please give previous Immigration and Nationality Directorate or Border and
Immigration Agency or UK Border Agency reference numbers)

• Do I need to apply on seperate AN form for myself and wife and seperate MN1 form for my 2 daughters under 18 yrs?
Do I need to provide marriage certificate? ( I have Indian marriage Certificate. my wife is with me from last 7 years.

• How much is the total fee for all of us?

• Is it good to go through NCS. NCS will cost £240?

• I dont know DOB of my parents as they were born in Pakistan and left pakistan after partition and I dont know the place/town of their birth(I will check these with my relatives)

• Refrees - One of my refree is a Pharmacist and second is my friend, both British and known to me for over 5 years. Is it Ok?

DOCUMENTS
• Evidence of Identity - Passport new and Old.
• Evidence of knowledge of English and of Life in the UK - Passed last year and submited with ILR application
• Evidence of lawful residence during the 5 - Passports
• Evidence of freedom from immigration time restrictions - Home office letter received at time of ILR

regards
Sensm







[/b]

[Gyfrinachgar]

Where to find this number on Passport or other documents? ((1.1 Please give previous Immigration and Nationality Directorate or Border and Immigration Agency or UK Border Agency reference numbers)

This is not referring to any number on a passport. You can either use the reference number you got during your IRL application (defining the citizenship as the next step of an ongoing process) or just leave the field blank (defining the citizenship as an independent process in its own right). As far as I know, both will work just fine (personally, I left mine blank at the time).

Do I need to apply on seperate AN form for myself and wife and seperate MN1 form for my 2 daughters under 18 yrs?

Yes - every person applying needs his/her own form. All forms can be submitted all at once, though (which is recommended to save money, see below).

How much is the total fee for all of us?

Here is the current leaflet. Currently, that is £1317 for you and your wife (joint fee) plus £827 for two children (joint fee), so on the group discount that makes a grand total of £2144. Prices will probably increase on 16th of April 2013 - they usualy do in April.

Is it good to go through NCS. NCS will cost £240?

It has advantages, but is not crucial. If you don't need your passports back in a hurry and if are confident with filling out the form on your own, it is a waste of money. Otherwise, it is money very well spent, as someone will check your application and verify that everything is in order. In any case, £240 sounds very steep, usually NCS applications are cheaper than that. Most are in the region of £100 for family applications. Many are even cheaper, Wrexham, for example, charges £90. If your council really charges that kind of money, it would be cheaper to book an appointment in a different council. You are not bound to your local council, but can choose any one you like (here is an overview).

I dont know DOB of my parents as they were born in Pakistan and left pakistan after partition and I dont know the place/town of their birth(I will check these with my relatives)

That won't go down well with Home Office. Try to get that information. If you absolutely cannot, write a clear explanation on page 13 why and what you have done in vain to try to gather that data.

Refrees - One of my refree is a Pharmacist and second is my friend, both British and known to me for over 5 years. Is it Ok?

Yes, sounds good to me (assuming the second referee is older than 25 or also a professional).

[Myb]

Hi guys
I have a problem finding suitable referees because in the form its says " known you personally for the three years ", what does personally mean exactly here ?
Thank you

[Gyfrinachgar]

I have a problem finding suitable referees because in the form its says " known you personally for the three years ", what does personally mean exactly here ?

See here. The person must have met you for the first time at least three years ago. Ideally you should have been in intermittent contact, but that is not crucial as long as the reference still remembers you well.

[Myb]

thank you for your advice, i used settlement checking service for my ILR to double check i have all documents before my PEO appointment, i asked the lady that i seen, she told me exactly the same thing u said that referees dont need to be in contact the whole three years, as long as its someone who knew you three years ago and can remember who you are it should be fine, i just hope the referees would agree to do it because on the AN form it says PERSONALLY so that may scare them

[Jambo]

You can use your GP or accountant or the teacher of your child from several years back. You don't need to have been going out drinking with them on a weekly basis.

[Gyfrinachgar]

the AN form it says PERSONALLY so that may scare them

That just means that HO doesn't wants references you only corresponded with, like a pen pal on the other side of the planet. They also don't want someone you only had cold factual business relationships with, like a client/customer. They also don't want someone you just met the other day (hence, the three years threshold). You can use any person that can say something meaningful about you: doctors, teachers, lecturers, colleagues, priests, landlords/-ladys, neighbours, sports club members, etc. are all fine. Both need to know you for three years+, one needs to be of professional standing and the other British - that is all.

[Myb]

Does it have to be exactly three years or more, or it can be a month or two short ?

Thank you

[Gyfrinachgar]

Does it have to be exactly three years or more, or it can be a month or two short ?

Technically, it has to be three years and not a day less. However, I really don't think HO will get crazy about a month. They might just let your application lay around for a month or they may ask for a third reference. That being that, theoretically you don't meet the formal requirements and move into the realm of caseworkers discretion - and that is always a risk. A small one in this case (I think), but still a risk.

[Myb]

Does it have to be exactly three years or more, or it can be a month or two short ?

Technically, it has to be three years and not a day less. However, I really don't think HO will get crazy about a month. They might just let your application lay around for a month or they may ask for a third reference. That being that, theoretically you don't meet the formal requirements and move into the realm of caseworkers discretion - and that is always a risk. A small one in this case (I think), but still a risk.

Could that be a reason to refuse an application ?

[Gyfrinachgar]

Could that be a reason to refuse an application ?

Theoretically yes, as you don't meet the formal requirements. If that it is the only problem in your application I seriously doubt that they will, but they have the right to.