Apply as Spouse or On Own Merits?

[rushandy]

Hi there,

I am posting on behalf of a friend who is in the position of being able to apply for BC either as a spouse or on her own merits, as she has ILR and has been legally resident in the UK for more than 9 years. She can gather all supporting documentation. Would there be any specific reason to apply one way or the other or would it not matter? She is separated from her spouse but on good terms.

Also, she doesn't know for certain the dates when her parents were born. Do you have any advice as to how she should approach the section of the form where parental information is requested?

Thanks in advance,
Andrew

[CR001]

Your friend can apply on either. For spouse of BC, your friend will need the spouse's British Passport to apply whereas this won't be needed if applied on basis of 5 years residency. That they are separated is not an issue, they still need to be legally married though.

Not sure what docs are needed for 5 years but for spouse of BC, your friend will need
*passport, including BC spouse passport
*proof of ILR
*Photos
*Marriage certificate
*life in the uk test certificate
*I would recommend latest P60 & NI card in case they ask for it

Not sure about the parents birthdates either, sorry.

Thanks
Char

[rushandy]

Thanks Char,

She can get hold of all of those, with a small amount of effort. I can also confirm she is still legally married.

I was curious really as to whether one way of applying might be better than the other. I think I read in some other posts that applying under the 5 year route can sometimes be quicker. It's no big deal really though, we just wanted to know if being married to a BC but applying under the 5 year rule instead might complicate (or perhaps quicken) things.

Anyone else have any ideas re the mother / father date of birth issue? Is it important? We were considering just putting down approximate years of birth and then explaining why in section 13. From what I can gather the reason behind requesting parental details is only to ascertain whether or not someone might inadvertently already have British citizenship? Not sure if I'm correct on this or not though.

Thanks for any help you may be able to give.

Regards
Andy

[CR001]

to be honest, i think all the checks that are done are the same whichever way you apply. I applied as spouse of BC (we are separated) and my approval was received within 6 weeks of applying.

wanted to know if being married to a BC but applying under the 5 year rule instead might complicate (or perhaps quicken) things

- should make no difference at all.

Some people apply under 5 year residents and wait 6 months!

Your assumption on the birthdates and parents details is correct. Is you put the day and month and then write 'year unknown' it should be fine