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Hi all! I wanted to apply for citizenship as EEA national (have been living in the UK for 9 years, first studying then working for more than 6). I filled the form AN and I will have a meeting with the local NCS office in a few weeks. I have now realized that the residence document I got is the one obtained through the application with an EEA (QP) form, and I should have used the EEA (PR) one.

Should I stop everything and apply for PR instead? Will the QP suffice?

Thanks!
Giuseppe

Your need a Document Certifying Permanent Residence to apply for naturalisation, a registration certificate is not enough.

What does the residence document you have say?

Hi Giuseppe,

Check the vignette inside your blue card. You have 3 main sections there. Name, Place / Date of Issue and Type of Document.
The 'Type of Document" section should read: Document Certifying Permanent Residence.

In case it's a different type of document, you'll have to obtain a DCPR first. You'll need application form EEA (PR).

The document you get through EEA(QP) application is a registration certificate.

The document you get through EEA(PR) application is a document certifying permanent residence, and this is the one you need to apply for naturalisation.

So I have the document in front of me now, and it does specify indeed "Document Certifying Permanent Residence". So, despite having sent a QP form, I received a document that looks exactly as the one ohara has shared above.

I guess I should be good then? I am a little nervous with this document because I also found the requirement of holding the permanent residence status for one year a little confusing. The document was only issued in May, but in the citizenship booklet it mentions that the PR status is acquired automatically after 5 years and what is important is that at the moment of the application for the permanent residence document, 5 years of evidence starting 1 year in advance, are provided. I did do so but in the QP form or in this document does not state anywhere where I acquired the status of permanent resident. I hope to be fine.

zeppe wrote:So I have the document in front of me now, and it does specify indeed "Document Certifying Permanent Residence". So, despite having sent a QP form, I received a document that looks exactly as the one ohara has shared above.

I guess I should be good then? I am a little nervous with this document because I also found the requirement of holding the permanent residence status for one year a little confusing. The document was only issued in May, but in the citizenship booklet it mentions that the PR status is acquired automatically after 5 years and what is important is that at the moment of the application for the permanent residence document, 5 years of evidence starting 1 year in advance, are provided. I did do so but in the QP form or in this document does not state anywhere where I acquired the status of permanent resident. I hope to be fine.

Apply via NCS who can check via a hotline to HO what your HO CID record records as the date of acquisition of PR.
And/or apply for a SAR from UKVI which may capture that information too.

Unfortunately the geniuses at the Home Office never thought it might be useful to tell EEA citizens who apply for a DCPR, the date that they have actually acquired PR. The issue date on the card is totally irrelevant; I've had PR since 2012 but only got the card in 2016.

HO do hold it on their computer system though, and if you request the data you'll get a page like this.

Thank you for the information. I am indeed curious to see whether they used the date of beginning of my employment which was in the attached document (which would give me just 1 year of PR status but it's fine), or something else (in fact I will claim in the form AN that I have had PR status for almost 5 years now, which is the truth based on when I first landed in UK).

I won't be able to formally request any document in time for the NCS meeting (which is in less than 20 days), so I will ask them to check before the application and if there is any problem I will have lost only the money of that appointment.

Hopefully your council's staff will be helpful.

NCS quality of service in my area is poor, staff are very rude (alghouth the individuals I have been in touch with are immigrants themselves) and refuse to call HO hotline to check EEA nationals' PR date.

Good luck!