A Quick Naturalisation Question

Anastasia · Post by **Anastasia** » Tue May 30, 2006 6:16 pm

Hi,

I recently (start of February) sent in my Naturalisation Application, received my ‘acknowledgement letter’ within two week’s, figured perhaps my application wont take so long either. However I am still waiting on it.

Does anybody here know if the ‘Nationalities Group’ make acceptations to speed up a person’s application if she/he has a genuine reason?

E.g. I have been offered a job, but for that I need travel abroad (which at the moment is impossible) unless I apply for Travel Documents, but then is it worth going through the process of that when my Naturalisation Application waiting time is coming to a close end? (So I hope)

I am tempted to pick that phone up and call them, but I don’t want my call to be logged.

Anybody here experienced a similar situation or knows anything about it?

Please advise

Anastasia

ppron747 · Post by **ppron747** » Tue May 30, 2006 6:39 pm

According to the IND website, applications were taking an average of 5.19 months, at the end of April, so I'd guess that yours is getting toward a decision.
I cannot see any reason at all for not calling them. This isn't a Terry Gilliam rubbish or a book by George Orwell....

Anastasia · Post by **Anastasia** » Tue May 30, 2006 6:55 pm

Ahh…

Yes, I realize what the IND website say’s, but the government say’s a lot of thing’s. It is also mentioned below the chart the following: ‘This information has not been quality assured, and is not a national statistic. It should be treated as provisional management information.’

So you really don’t know where you stand. (but hopefully you are right and mine will be on the way).

I mean if the application will only take another month (as stated on the website) then I can deal with that, but if longer I am going to have to figure out how to get it processed faster for my job.

The reason why I don’t want to call is because… I do not want to be logged and come across as one of those impatient customers, and I think that they might delay me longer for being a pain in the mule. (Purposely!) call me paranoid if you like.

Thank you for the reply ppron.
……………………….

Anastasia

bbdivo · Post by **bbdivo** » Tue May 30, 2006 10:24 pm

What method did you use for your application? Postal or NCS?

Although they officially deny it, NCS route appears to happen a lot quicker.

Post by **John** » Tue May 30, 2006 10:40 pm

Anastasia, as you sent the application less than four months ago and the average waiting time at the moment is currently 5.19 months, is there any particular reason for you wanting to know the result of your application?

I ask that because people phoning IND in Liverpool will tend to slow up the whole process of actually dealing with the applications. So given that you are still way under the current average I would hold off asking them at the current time.

The average wait time was down to 4.08 months but then IND got totally inundated with applications immediately prior to the introduction of the Citizenship Test last autumn. They are now trying to get the average waiting time down again.

But as already asked, did you use NCS or did you post the application?

Anastasia · Post by **Anastasia** » Wed May 31, 2006 11:51 am

Unfortunately I used registered post, I didn’t know about the NCS back then.
I know it has only been roughly 4 months but I been hearing that people have been getting there’s back in 2/3 months even weeks, I figured perhaps mine will take just a quick.

I really need mine speeded up as I have an offer to go aboard with my company, I don’t know if they will take that into consideration.

And I do not plan on calling them up either, as I am aware that they will only delay. Though it is tempting.

Perhaps if I ask the return of some of my documents and give them a reason to why I need them, they might, just might speed it up a little. There must be a way to get things speeded up, there always is.

At the moment I estimate on a decision some where around 19th July…

Unless the French boarders don’t check passports maybe I can slip through.

Thanks for your advise.

…………………………

Anastasia.

bbdivo · Post by **bbdivo** » Wed May 31, 2006 12:41 pm

Anastasia wrote:Unless the French boarders don’t check passports maybe I can slip through.

Please, please do NOT do this!

I'm sure your paperwork will come through soon!

mhunjn · Post by **mhunjn** » Wed May 31, 2006 1:39 pm

You could request them to send your present passport back and get a visa for travelling with work, till you get your UK citizenship and passport.

Anastasia wrote:Perhaps if I ask the return of some of my documents and give them a reason to why I need them, they might, just might speed it up a little.

sasha · Post by **sasha** » Wed May 31, 2006 2:08 pm

I had a similar problem. I applied in Feb for BC but I had a job offer in the meantime. My job offer is pending my right to work in UK. I have ILR at present. I phoned HO and explain the situation. They advised me that I can have my passport back to show to my employer if I needed to. However, they also told me that they might ask me to send the passport back to them. Now, if I don't send the passport back after 3 weeks of Ho request I would have to apply for BC again. For this reason I have gathered my P60's bank statements, driver's licence and other documents and sent it off to my future employer. I hope they will accept this and that I won't have to ask for my passport back from the Ho because it will just complicate things further.
As far as your application goes, my advice is: Patience is a virtue!

good luck
p.s - I should have used NCS

Anastasia · Post by **Anastasia** » Wed May 31, 2006 6:05 pm

Unfortunately I can't ask for return of my passport, simply because I don’t have one at all.

But I was thinking perhaps applying for some travel documents, but I am finding it hard to select which one applies to me, as I have not yet been rejected of anything.

Sasha, seems like we are in the same boat! I applied in early February too, and got my acknowledgement letter in 2 weeks. How long did yours take to arrive?

Let me know if you hear anything from the H.O.

Good luck to you.

And I wish I used NCS too.

………………………..

Anastasia

sasha · Post by **sasha** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 8:50 am

I received my aknowledgement letter 4 days after I applied.

I will, and you let me know if you hear from Ho re you application.

good luck to you too

s

ezh · Post by **ezh** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:04 am

Anastasia and sasha,

"gore ot uma" (hope you understand this) - I had the same problem - I was smart enough to fill my application form withouth the NCS help and ended up waiting for 4.1 months (read my posts). Befor making a phone call to Liverpool (just befor the end of my third month) I sent them an email asking about my application progress and mentioned that this info would help me to plan my scientific schedule (I go abroad on conferences often). They did not reply but when I phoned them in 10 days after the email - they made me happy saying "it is alright with your application". The people in the IND are reasonable and I believe they responded to my email by moving my application forward in the queue. But it also could be that my 4.1 months were almost exactly the average waiting time of that period (February 2006). My advice - wait until you are close to the average waiting time, then contact them.

My friend's just got his approval - he was waiting just over 2 months, but followed my advise to use the NCS.

Post by **John** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:21 am

I was smart enough to fill my application form withouth the NCS help

Just to make clear, the NCS office is not there to help you fill in the form. They are there to check whether the application form has been completed OK, and is supported by all the correct documents.

That is, why is the NCS system so useful to the IND office in Liverpool? Because that office have an assurance that the NCS will not forward any application that is not complete, or with documents missing. Hence, in practice, applications submitted via NCS do end up being dealt with quicker than postal applications that may or may not be complete.

ezh · Post by **ezh** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:34 am

Okay, John - I was smart enough to complete the form and collect the right docs. One has to agree that to do it you don't need to graduate from Cambridge University

. For a mentally healthy person the NCS is absolutely unecessary. But at the moment it is smart to use the NCS to get approvals at least two times quicker. Somebody even wrote here that the NCS envelopes even marked with a yellow sticker prior to sending to Liverpool....

bbdivo · Post by **bbdivo** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:18 pm

ezh wrote:Okay, John - I was smart enough to complete the form and collect the right docs. One has to agree that to do it you don't need to graduate from Cambridge University .

Totally agree with you there! In fact the guidance even says you should be able to complete the documents yourself without any additional help!

ezh wrote:For a mentally healthy person the NCS is absolutely unecessary.

I think you have totally misunderstood what the NCS is there for, I will be using the NCS in a months time (and I consider myself 'mentally healthy'). The NCS is there to check the application for completeness and to ensure that the necessary documents are provided, they also allow for original documents to be returned immediately. Normally the HO will check the forms when they arrive by post, using the NCS route they can assume that all the necessary documenation is provided and the forms are complete.

Note the NCS only check the form, they dont 'help' you fill it out or act as your agent.

Post by **John** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:30 pm

ezh wrote:For a mentally healthy person the NCS is absolutely unecessary.

I don't think that is the point of NCS at all. Given that (hopefully) the person will only ever fill in the application once-only in their lifetime, having a sanity check run over it is clearly a good idea.

Also, as I see it, one of the main advantages in using NCS is that the passport need not be forwarded with the application. Yes it needs to be taken to the NCS office but all they do is photocopy it and hand it straight back to you. So it is not a question of the person being mentally healthy ... merely getting the advantage of submitting the application in that way.

Anastasia · Post by **Anastasia** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 5:46 pm

Well, it definitely sound's like a good idea to use 'NCS', whether your mentally incapable or capable always important to double-check yourself, even better when there is an expert to check for you. Shame I didn’t know about it when I applied, I would have definitely used it (even though i am more than capable of doing it myself). And by the sound of it the service is a lot faster. (well from what i hear anyway).

When did this service come out anyway?

My waiting time is coming to an end now, I think I will give it till end of June and then call them explaining, I’m going to work out of the country… can you hurry the F up”

Ezh, good luck using the NCS, let me know how it goes. If you get your approval before me, I will be very jealous!! *Smiles*

P.S. i dont know what '"gore ot uma"' means. What does it mean?

…………………….

Anastasia.

ezh · Post by **ezh** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:04 am

Anastasia,

"gore ot uma" in russian means somethning like "to suffer from being smart" because of your and saha's names I assumed you'd understand this...

I actually got my Bristish Citizenship more than three month ago... I applied by post in the end of Septemeber 2005 just before the introduction of the citizenship test and was patiently waiting and waiting and blaiming the backlog in Liverpool... Then I saw

on this board (and got very annoyed

) the NCS applicants reporting their approvals after 1-2 weeks (one received his after 5 days!!!!) or on average 3-4 weeks, without being affected by the backlog. Anyway good luck to you

ezh · Post by **ezh** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:25 am

John and bbdivo,

I understand the main purpose of the NCS (for a mentally healthy person), of course. It is that a person gets their docs straigt back. But if this person do not need the docs back the same day they'd prefer to apply by post - as Anastasia, sasha and myself did. Difficult to argue with it, right - by doing this people save their money, do not need to ask for a day or two off from their work and do not need to travel long distances! A mentally healthy person do not need any help to complete the form and collect all the docs - it is clear even from the citizenship guide, as bbdivo's mentioned. Anyway I am not calling all the people who used the NCS stupid, of course not, because it is a very smart way at the moment, leading to much faster approval times. It was just very annoying to see approvals of 1-2 weeks when the postal applications needed 4-5 months...

Post by **John** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:52 am

EZH, I still think you are overlooking why IND is able to deal with NCS-routed applications faster than others.

I will not be surprised if at some future date IND insist that all applications are made using NCS, given how that would enable them to give a better service. But I recognise that there would need to be a considerable increase in NCS facilities before that could happen.

Anastasia · Post by **Anastasia** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 5:03 pm

Ezh, i am Russian but i didnt understand what those words meant. Sorry.

I take it your Russian too...

Lucky you got your documents back, i am getting annoyed of waiting, i really really need to make a trip to france soon!!

EU= dont need a passport to travel? You think i can use some other form of ID?

Smiles*

.......................

Anastasia

Post by **John** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 6:07 pm

EU= dont need a passport to travel? You think i can use some other form of ID?

For the Nationals of those EU countries that have an official ID card then that ID card can be used instead of a passport.

For example, French citizens have to carry an ID card. That card can be used to enter the UK.

Apart from that a passport or other official travel document is needed .... with visa if people of that nationality need to get a visa to enter that country.

sywahu · Post by **sywahu** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:51 pm

Using the NCS:

A - You get your originals back
B - Application gets processed quicker but of course not grtrd.

Simple as that. Nothing smart/stupid about that.

vin123 · Post by **vin123** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 12:24 pm

I applied via normal postal-route and got an approval in 8 weeks time back in last year, almost the same time as ezh.
Obviously, no body knows for certain, why some applications take longer compared to certain others irrespective of NCS or postal. So all our guesses are subjective.
On the other hand, if some 'facility' offered appears to be making the process faster in general, why not use it or encourage people to use it? It’s not a question of mental capability to jump over the ceiling. All we need is Naturalisation approval in the fastest time as possible.

Ezh - I hope you got my point, so please do not discourage or stereotype the 'mental ability' of those going via NCS route. Live and let live.

jaduu · Post by **jaduu** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 12:38 pm

I would vouch for using the NCS if it is convenient - it oly costs about £35 and you get to keep your passports which is very important as you might need to travel unexpectedly, bearing in mind it takes on average 5 months to process the application.

I also think it is quicker than normal routes - I get my approval in about 2 weeks. I am not sure what the precise reason for the quick turnaround is compared to a postal complete application. It could be that caseworkers would rather deal with NCS applications first as they might be working to targets per person and the NCS ones would give them some quick hits.

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