Page 1 of 1

Calculation of days away for naturalisation

Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 8:47 am
by global gypsy
Hello all,

I have my NCS interview coming up this Saturday...
What is the official directive on how days away from the UK are to be calculated, i.e. are weekends/holidays to be included, or can we exclude in the calculation?

When I applied for my ILR, I excluded weekends/holidays, and that was acceptable to BIA.
Just wanted to make sure the policy is similar for naturalisation.

If it helps, I am using form AN for my naturalisation application.

Caseworker guidance may be the best place for this?
Vinny/others, can you help please!

Many thanks.

Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 10:52 am
by vinny

Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 11:09 am
by Spartac
Hi global gypsy,

I just applied through the NCS two days ago. They spend more time checking the entries and exits that anything else on the AN form.

As far as counting the number of days was concerned, they only ignore the day of departure and the day of arrival, the rest all count as absences.

Hope that helps and good luck.

Spartac

Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 3:06 pm
by global gypsy
Spartac, thanks for the info.

Considering you went thru NCS recently, can I ask you couple of additional questions:
1. Should the photograph be stapled to the application form (referee page)? I have attached it using a paper clip.
2. How accurate should one be regarding addresses for the past 5 years? I am not 100% sure of the exact dates I stayed at a couple of places.

Thanks in advance.

Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 4:24 pm
by keshgrover
global gypsy wrote:Spartac, thanks for the info.

Considering you went thru NCS recently, can I ask you couple of additional questions:
1. Should the photograph be stapled to the application form (referee page)? I have attached it using a paper clip.
2. How accurate should one be regarding addresses for the past 5 years? I am not 100% sure of the exact dates I stayed at a couple of places.

Thanks in advance.
Request a credit report and you will have it all. It is just to see roughly what have you been upto in last five years. By means of work, and crime. So, just put the months and years as you remember. There is not a do or die rule for it.

Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 4:46 pm
by Spartac
global gypsy wrote:Spartac, thanks for the info.

Considering you went thru NCS recently, can I ask you couple of additional questions:
1. Should the photograph be stapled to the application form (referee page)? I have attached it using a paper clip.
2. How accurate should one be regarding addresses for the past 5 years? I am not 100% sure of the exact dates I stayed at a couple of places.

Thanks in advance.
I actually glued our photographs to the Referees Page. I made sure I did attach them as the referees are only supposed to sign the complete page with the photograph.

I didn't know the address of the first 2 weeks we were here as it was an employer provided accomodation. I mentioned the dates and that fact on the addresses section. That was not a problem. Might be problem if you don't know the addresses for a few months, but with just a small issue with dates I guess it should be fine.

Hope that helps.

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 4:54 pm
by global gypsy
Spartac, thanks very much for your useful (and prompt!) responses.

Just have one final question:
Should one staple together the pages of the application form?
I downloaded the form and printed it, but haven't as yet stapled the pages.

I have my interview tomorrow, so would appreciate an early reply - that is, if you get to read this before then!

Much appreciated.

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 5:00 pm
by Spartac
global gypsy wrote:Spartac, thanks very much for your useful (and prompt!) responses.

Just have one final question:
Should one staple together the pages of the application form?
I downloaded the form and printed it, but haven't as yet stapled the pages.

I have my interview tomorrow, so would appreciate an early reply - that is, if you get to read this before then!

Much appreciated.
Probably best not to staple the forms. The NCS has to give you a copy of the forms once they have reviewed and approved it, and if its not stapled it will make their life a bit easier to copy the whole lot and reduce your waiting time. I did staple them though but probably best to let them staple it after they have copied it. Just use a paper clip.

Good luck with your application.

Spartac

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 5:12 pm
by global gypsy
Thank you for that!

Hope everything goes well tomorrow...

Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 10:16 pm
by global gypsy
Had a fairly smooth NCS interview today. The lady was very courteous and helpful.

Based on suggestions I had read on this forum, I had entered my HSMP number in the Home Office reference no. section (the very first entry).
She deleted it, and left it blank - she told me only ILR reference no. (if it exists) should go in there, which I don't have.

Other than that, she checked various parts of my application:
- checked to see I was here 5 years ago
- checked to confirm I had less than 450 days absence from the UK in the last 5 years
- checked to confirm I had less than 90 days absence from the UK in the past one year
(all this was based on what I had entered in my application form, not by checking passport entries)
- finally, checked various sections to enusre I had filled them all in where required

She had a check-list of items which she went thru.
Oh, and she copied my passport and Life in the UK test score.
And I made the relevant payments.

That's all.
Now I have to wait for the naturalisation to come through, which she told me could take as long as 4 months.

Thanks to Vinny and Spartac for your helpful responses.

Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 3:59 pm
by omot
Hi Spartac and Global Gypsy,

Have your naturalisation apllications been successful? Did the Home Office write to you requesting any further documents?


Many thanks in advance.

Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 4:45 pm
by navnas
Hello there , have you got some requests for additional docs ???

if you see the dates for above posts then all these guys have already done with their bits :-)