May 2014 - Naturalisation Application Timeline

[dalvin]

Another week - only one person registered on this forum receiving the good news. Have things gone really this slow @ HO

[mandyr]

Application for 2 adults

Eligibility criteria: Old HSMP + Tier 1 (General) + ILR for 1 Year and 1 month
Language criteria : Degree + LIUK + Naric certification
Method of application: NCS
Council name if NCS used: Bristol
Date of application: 15/5/14
Payment method CC/DC, Personal cheque, Bankers cheque etc: DC
Date of receipt by UKBA: 16/5/14
Date of aknowlegment: 19/5/14
Date of debit or clearance of fees: 16/5/14
Date approval received: TBC

Please note: during our appointment with the NCS, they informed us that one of the rules is that in order for the application to be acceptable, for our date of application (in our case, 15 May 2014), it would be necessary for us to have been physically present in the UK 1 year prior to that, i.e. there should be no record that we were on holiday or whatever outside of the UK, around 15 / 16 May 2013!! Fortunately, we passed this requirement, but were completely unaware of this beforehand. If we had been away the previous year on that date, we would have needed to make another NCS appointment and resubmit the application! (So another NCS payment, appointment and time off work!)

[alok_singh]

Hi Mandyr,

These 1 yr rule is not mentioned in any document. The only rule I am ware is that exactly 5y yr from the date of application one should physically present in UK.

Regards
Alok

[mandyr]

Hi Alok,

I am aware that this rule is not mentioned in any document available to applicants - as I said, we were unaware of it beforehand.
However, it is a rule in the guidance provided to the NCS, which is not available to the general public.

Regards

[alok_singh]

Thanks Mandyr,

If this rule is really valid then my application is at risk.

[ilrupdates]

Application for 2 adults

Eligibility criteria: Old HSMP + Tier 1 (General) + ILR for 1 Year and 1 month
Language criteria : Degree + LIUK + Naric certification
Method of application: NCS
Council name if NCS used: Bristol
Date of application: 15/5/14
Payment method CC/DC, Personal cheque, Bankers cheque etc: DC
Date of receipt by UKBA: 16/5/14
Date of aknowlegment: 19/5/14
Date of debit or clearance of fees: 16/5/14
Date approval received: TBC

Please note: during our appointment with the NCS, they informed us that one of the rules is that in order for the application to be acceptable, for our date of application (in our case, 15 May 2014), it would be necessary for us to have been physically present in the UK 1 year prior to that, i.e. there should be no record that we were on holiday or whatever outside of the UK, around 15 / 16 May 2013!! Fortunately, we passed this requirement, but were completely unaware of this beforehand. If we had been away the previous year on that date, we would have needed to make another NCS appointment and resubmit the application! (So another NCS payment, appointment and time off work!)

I think the requirement for physical presence in UK starts 5 years before the application date NOT one year before the application date. For example if you apply on 10/07/2014, you must be physically present in UK on 10/07/2009 instead of on 10/07/2013. I mean you are Not bound to be physically present in UK on the date 10/07/2013 if your application date is 10/07/2014. You are only bound to be physically present on the date 10/07/2009 in this example.

Gurus am I right in my opinion? please advise
Thanks

[mandyr]

Alok,
Maybe it's not at risk... I'm not too sure of it myself - I'm simply retelling what we were told at our NCS.
I'm pretty sure you would have grounds for an argument (if it came to that) since this rule was not provided to applicants.

Good luck.

[skilled_migrant]

Not a single approval in last 15 days !!!

[Littledarkone]

The one year rule applies for the post ILR. When you get it you have 1y waiting time before you can apply for nationality. Even though I didn't apply right after that 1y, but after 3 they still were asking about the date 1y prior to application.
But that requirement is mentioned in the guidance notes related to my specific application (spouse of British citizen) and I was aware of it before the appointment. That's why I had to delay the application by few weeks & am now sharing your problem of being stick among May applications

[Littledarkone]

Eligibility criteria: Spouse with ILR for 3 years
Language criteria : Life in UK + Cambridge English CPE
Method of application: NCS
Council name if NCS used: Kingston
Date of application: 12/5/14
Payment method CC/DC, Personal cheque, Bankers cheque etc: DC
Date of receipt by UKBA: 13/5/14
Date of aknowlegment: 20/5/14
Date of debit or clearance of fees: 22/5/14

And that's it so far... I'm approaching my 2m mark now...
So I rang 0300 today & completely forgot the term he used to say what stage the application is in... I want to say stand by, but it isn't, it's basically generalised term for no information available. He couldn't tell me about criminal records check or case worker, he sounded like he had nothing on the screen.

Reg the cost for individual ceremony in my experience they are so different even in the same county. Around Surrey they go between £100 & £180 in the offices I've looked at.
It was the same for CS, in some places I couldn't get an appointment for 3 weeks & it costed over £70, in others they had plenty for next week & they were £50-ish.
Good luck all, I do hope this all gets sped up very soon!

[Bivo]

[quote="skilled_migrant"][color=#BF4000][size=150]Not a single approval in last 15 days !!![/size][/color][/quote]

Hello all,

Yeah I am afraid that all people applying for naturalisation will have their application delayed, and they will work on the usual target of 6 months...This is how Theresa May likes to solve a problem, take staff from UKVI , send them to clear passport log, and face another long wait for people waiting for naturalisation application to be considered after paying a hefty £906 each...

I called today the council I plan to have my ceremony after the approval letter....is Brent Council one of the busiest in the UK which usually organise 2 ceremonies a week, and the lady confirmed that Home Office is really busy and now they only organize one or maybe two ceremonies in a month!! Due to shortage of certificates being received from Home Office...bad news, sorry!

All the best,

Daniel

[ayoubtt]

Can we start a petition or something so both thee public and the MP's know what is going on here on our side in addition to passports fiasco and how we are being treated ?

Why are we being held hostage to gross mis-management in the Home Office... GRRRRR

"Rant Over"

[ayoubtt]

Update:

24/04/2014 applicant just got his approval today.( Checkout April timeline) So they are still JUST trickling in.

[Bivo]

[quote="ayoubtt"]Can we start a petition or something so both thee public and the MP's know what is going on here on our side in addition to passports fiasco and how we are being treated ?

Why are we being held hostage to gross mis-management in the Home Office... GRRRRR

"Rant Over"[/quote]


Unfortunately this will not help. The point is by law they need to process the application in a maximum of 6 months, unless they have a specific reason outlined in the acknowledgement letter....what I find absolutely wrong is that they deployed staff from UKVI to look after some of the applications for the passports, to clear the massive log...up to 100 staff moved to help UK Passport Office, and 100 staff for sure will have an impact of timeline dealing with naturalisation checks....they will try hard to make sure the applications are dealt within 6 months period, but why staff who is paid from our fees to go to help the other department?!? Before the passport scandal the average time for consideration was 40-50-60 days...now we will see... Why us to pay the price of the bad management that occured at the Passport office?! Why when they saw the unprecedented demand and increase of passport application they took no action? They just waited in the last hour to take action....

This is a leaked letter from Theresa May to Home Office staff, but I am sure is 99 % true, as I said earlier even the council that is the busiest in Britain and organize twice a week ceremonies confirmed that they now have only one or two a month because Home Office is very busy and they organize just this because of shortage of certificates sent by Home Office...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... tions.html

[sip05ma4]

Hi All,

I completely agree with the fact that why have we been suffering.
We paid fee and fulfill all the tax requirements (in most cases we pay high tax) still we are sufferers.


We should start a petition for that

thanks,

[1just]

Petition won't help anything as they have SIX months to consider our apps. Simple as that. Just came back from holidays. No post from HO.

[sip05ma4]

It is quite unfortunate and not fair.

We pay high tax and only because we are not born here we don't have same rights

..

[IndiMarshall]

Update:

24/04/2014 applicant just got his approval today.( Checkout April timeline) So they are still JUST trickling in.

This is a breather for me to know that they are at least dealing with the applications

It give me some hope. It took roughly 80 days for that applicant.

Going by this I will check my post box eagerly in early Aug..

[mandyr]

That's the spirit, IndiMarshall
Just keep swimming...

[Lionel2]

Looks like the withdrawal of application fee is happening like clockwork. Applications submitted in July has been processed for fee withdrawal. Atleast the gyz have got their priorities covered. Wonder how the picture of a Naturalisation application backlog will look like. Just a matter of time

[IndiMarshall]

That's the spirit, IndiMarshall
Just keep swimming...

Thanks

[divisionbell]

Hi
I applied on 15May2014. Still waiting for the approval. I called HO today. They told me the application was still pending and could take upto six months from the date they received it, to get processed as per the process

[IndiMarshall]

Hi
I applied on 15May2014. Still waiting for the approval. I called HO today. They told me the application was still pending and could take upto six months from the date they received it, to get processed as per the process

I applied on 14th May .. I havent called them.. as u know that will be their common answer for everyone.. I think we should be able to hear with in first two weeks of Aug..

Fingers crossed

[dalvin]

No new approvals for the past couple of weeks now - please share the success - or things have gone quite from the HO side?

Out of interest, i called HO last Thursday for status update, the lady who answered the phone took my contact number and said someone will be intouch soon to advice further. On monday i got a call from the HO from a chap who said he was returning my call - he informed me that things were a bit slow at the mo and should give it another 4 four weeks meaning the whole process will take 3 months at most he said.

[Iva_rocher]

Phoned HO this morning only to hear the usual "your application is awaiting to be allocated". Asked them whether the follow up request for additional documents had been sent, but the answer was " not yet". Today is 72 days since I've submitted my application. Any news, anyone?