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Proving my british citizenship

Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 9:17 pm
by rogertroicki
Hello everyone,

So I basically came to the UK in September and started studying at a University when I started researching about this British citizenship thing. I was born in the UK in 1993 in Nottingham to a Jordanian father and a Swiss mother, my father was doing his PhD and my mother was living here with him and she had ilr at that time, but it got lost like 10 years ago and anyways she didn't need it again especially due to the new EEA regulations with Switzerland which allows rights of residence. So basically, I got now Swiss nationality and a British birth certificate, my parents were married at that time which means under all these circumstances, I'm automatically a British citizen and should be able to apply for the passport, but I don't have the ilr proof of my mother so what can I do about that? Don't they have old records showing that? Any help please, I would really appreciate it, thanks.

Re: Proving my british citizenship

Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 10:18 pm
by vinny
Yes. if your mother had ILR at the time of your birth in the UK, then you are automatically British. Her marriage to your father is not relevant, unless you are claiming British citizenship via your father.

Try applying for confirmation of British nationality status.

Re: Proving my british citizenship

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 11:56 am
by rogertroicki
Thanks for your quick reponse, the thing is we don't have her passport anymore so how will it prove to the Home office that she had it? As I heard they don't keep files from such a long time especially over 20 years. And if I do apply using this form, what documents do I need to send and how high is the success rate? Appreciate it a lot, thank you

Re: Proving my british citizenship

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 7:43 pm
by rogertroicki
vinny wrote:Yes. if your mother had ILR at the time of your birth in the UK, then you are automatically British. Her marriage to your father is not relevant, unless you are claiming British citizenship via your father.

Try applying for confirmation of British nationality status.

Thanks for your quick reponse, the thing is we don't have her passport anymore so how will it prove to the Home office that she had it? As I heard they don't keep files from such a long time especially over 20 years. And if I do apply using this form, what documents do I need to send and how high is the success rate? Appreciate it a lot, thank you

Re: Proving my british citizenship

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 8:14 am
by vinny
The Guidance lists the documents that they expect. Your Birth certificate may be insufficient, without evidence of your mother's ILR.

Try also SAR on your mother to see if they still hold any records of her ILR.

Didn't she keep any records from that period?

Re: Proving my british citizenship

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 2:10 pm
by rogertroicki
vinny wrote:The Guidance lists the documents that they expect. Your Birth certificate may be insufficient, without evidence of your mother's ILR.

Try also SAR on your mother to see if they still hold any records of her ILR.

Didn't she keep any records from that period?

Well if I had my mothers ilr, I'd directly apply for a passport which I would be eligible to. She only has some confirmation that she lived at the address in Nottingham which doesn't relate to ilr.. I emailed the Home office and they said I could test my strength to british nationality by directly applying for passport or by using form NS for confirmation of british nationality, and it states in the guides "This guide is intended to assist those people who believe they have a claim to British nationality but are unable to apply for a British passport because they do not have the documents needed for a passport application."

SAR would be a waste I think as the events are 20+ years old so if I apply through form NS using my birth certificate and swiss passport, do you think I'll have any success? I don't know what else to do, really frustrating...

Thanks

Re: Proving my british citizenship

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 4:03 pm
by UKBALoveStory
rogertroicki wrote: ....
SAR would be a waste I think as the events are 20+ years old so if I apply through form NS using my birth certificate and swiss passport, do you think I'll have any success? I don't know what else to do, really frustrating...

Thanks
May be you can try contacting the bank of your mother or DVLA to see if they have a copy of her ILR in their records?

Re: Proving my british citizenship

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 4:37 pm
by rogertroicki
UKBALoveStory wrote:
rogertroicki wrote: ....
SAR would be a waste I think as the events are 20+ years old so if I apply through form NS using my birth certificate and swiss passport, do you think I'll have any success? I don't know what else to do, really frustrating...

Thanks
May be you can try contacting the bank of your mother or DVLA to see if they have a copy of her ILR in their records?

My mother held a swiss driving license as well as a bank account, her and my dad had the same account which was under his name, I already thought of that but I'm just not getting further.. And as I said she didn't bother about her passport due to the new regulations that came to power in 2002. You think I won't get nationality approval by using form NS by sending my passport copy and an original of my birth certificate as well as a written explanation about the ilr situation?

Re: Proving my british citizenship

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 10:22 pm
by rogertroicki
BUMP?

Re: Proving my british citizenship

Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 8:25 am
by ouflak1
rogertroicki wrote: My mother held a Swiss driving license as well as a bank account, her and my dad had the same account which was under his name, I already thought of that but I'm just not getting further. And as I said she didn't bother about her passport due to the new regulations that came to power in 2002. You think I won't get nationality approval by using form NS by sending my passport copy and an original of my birth certificate as well as a written explanation about the ILR situation?
It seems unlikely given the way the bureaucracy is known to work. They really do need that specific ILR information, or some sort of reference number to any part of her immigration information that would be on file with the Home Office. Not sure how you can proceed from here without something like that available. I suppose you try and just see how it turns out. Maybe you will get lucky. It happens. But I would be prepared for a lot of frustration.

Re: Proving my british citizenship

Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 1:39 pm
by ban.s
is it possible to contact the passport authorities in Switzerland and get the details (e.g. passport no, valid from, valid to dates) of her old passports?

if you manage to find those details then it would probably be easier for UKBA to trace her old ILR history.
also provide your mother's date of birth and if she was known by a different name, then those previous names.