Naturalisation application processing timelines (only)

[sgc]

Application Timeline
Eligibility criteria: 10+ yrs ilr, hadn't left uk 5+ yrs, met all criteria
Method of application: ncs surrey
Date of receipt by UKBA: end/8/14
Date of debit of fees: start/9/14
Date of receipt of acknowledgement: end/8/14
Date of receipt of approval: end/3/15
Date of Ceremony: mid/4/15

total ~8months

[mykarl123]

Hi SAM. Congratulations on receiving your approval.. It gives me hope. I will be 10 months waiting on 4th May. Hope something turns up too. Good luck to all those who arewaiting from 2014

[PAK321]

Has anyone from July been asked to send original documents after the February 6th 3 to 6 months wait letter. I received a letter asking for my original travel documents 3 weeks ago. Sent with a self addressed envelope and haven't heard anything.. Good luck to everyone waiting especially April to august 2014 cases. .

Dont worry mykarl123, its normal, Hopefully you will get your documents back with approval letter.
You just keep tracking your envelope online from post office website, i am sure you sent a special delivery envelope.
as soon as HO post it back, you will know it.
Good Luck

[PAK321]

[May be this coming week the transaction will come up.

Good news my application as been approved.application date 20 of March received by ho 23th money deducted 8th April received email acknowledgement 9th April.than 15 april received letter of acknowledgement dated 8th of April.approval letter first of May.

congratesssssssss.

[sophia24]

Hi all,

I did applied by post without the return envelope, can i send envelope now?
any one has done it before?

[zah123]

Hi Guys
Applied on 14th April no fee deducted yet...seems they are working on March Applications...
I wish everyone for fast and positive outcome
Learn from you guys to be patience and think positively..

Cheers
Zah

[kkb]

Hi Sophia 24

I sent them a special delivery prepaid envelop after receiving my acknowledgement.

[Makebelieve]

They will ensure that all your documents are sent together whether you send a pre recorded delivery envelope or not they too have responsibilities to ensure that keep people's property safe. I wouldn't worry much

[shahshah]

Hi friends. do they send approval in normal delivery by royal mail or by any other.
i am asking this question as one of my friend got his approval after 7 months by DHL.

[TheDefib]

Eligibility criteria: 10yr + 1 year ILR
Method of application: NCS Chelmsford
Date of receipt by UKBA: 26th April 2014
Date of debit of fees: 10/05/2014
Date of receipt of acknowledgement: 15/05/2014 (Dated 13/05/2014)
Date of reply to my enquiry at 6 months : 08/02/2015 (Extra checks for "particular circumstances")
Date of receipt of approval: 01/05/2015
Date of Ceremony: Awaiting.

[sophia24]

Hi Sophia 24

I sent them a special delivery prepaid envelop after receiving my acknowledgement.

Did you sent any note with it or just ref. number?

[sophia24]

They will ensure that all your documents are sent together whether you send a pre recorded delivery envelope or not they too have responsibilities to ensure that keep people's property safe. I wouldn't worry much

No Makebelieve, They don't care about people's property, they will send all documents with 3rd class post which has no record and untraceable.
one of my friend got his original documents back with damaged biometric card and 1/3 opened envelope. he called the HO and they suggested to contact post office , it is their problem not ours.

[sophia24]

Eligibility criteria: 10yr + 1 year ILR
Method of application: NCS Chelmsford
Date of receipt by UKBA: 26th April 2014
Date of debit of fees: 10/05/2014
Date of receipt of acknowledgement: 15/05/2014 (Dated 13/05/2014)
Date of reply to my enquiry at 6 months : 08/02/2015 (Extra checks for "particular circumstances")
Date of receipt of approval: 01/05/2015
Date of Ceremony: Awaiting.

OMG, Congratulations TheDefib.
1 year you have waited. how you managed that?

[waitwaitwait]

Hi friends. do they send approval in normal delivery by royal mail or by any other.
i am asking this question as one of my friend got his approval after 7 months by DHL.

Normally approval/citizenship ceremony invitation comes via second class royal mail delivery in a brown envelope unless you have provided them a prepaid self addressed envelope for SD.
It is the cheapest and slowest post as mine was dated 30march and arrived on 10 april. However when you apply for your British pp then U can pay £3 extra for your documents to be returned via recorded delivery which comes through DX.
Not sure how come your friend's came via DHL.

[everyday_4_u]

Method of Application: NCS
Date of Application: 21-01-2015
Eligibility Criteria : Spouse (3 years)
Application Received Date: 22-01-2015
Payment Method and Clearance: CC cleared on 29-01-2015
Date Of Acknowledgment: 02-02-2015 Letter dated (28-01-2015)
Approval: Waiting
Date Of Ceremony: Waiting

I have a question and would appreciate if some one has any information on it. When someone get Visa Refusal (Further Leave to Remain) and he appeal in Lower Tribunal and then Upper tribunal but decided to withdraw his appeal and voluntarily leave the country then his stay would be considered illegal stay during appeal period or not? Thank you.

[nvijay]

Hello Friends,
I have been reading March time lines recently. It looks like more approvals happening recently on March applicants!! Anybody knows how to request the statics from HO under FOI. or Has any one already requested stats for JAN & FEB, please update us. It looks like Jan & Feb Folks been sent to the back log!!!

[sgc]

Hi SAM. Congratulations on receiving your approval.. It gives me hope. I will be 10 months waiting on 4th May. Hope something turns up too. Good luck to all those who arewaiting from 2014

who were you replying to?

[ash2007]

Hi guys! I just came back from holiday and... what a surprise!!! 2 beautiful brown envelopes were waiting for me!
It took 1 month for me. GOOD LUCK!

Eligibility criteria: 8 years + 1 year of permanent resident
Language criteria met: Life In The UK Test + B1 ESOL entry 3
Current nationality: Polish
Method of application: NCS
Council name if NCS used: Ealing, London
Date of application: 20/03/15
Payment method: Debit Card
Date of receipt by UKBA: Delivered to HO on 23/03/15 by Royal Mail
Date of acknowledgment: 08/04/15 via email
Date of debit or clearance of fees: 07/04/15 balance dropped
Date approval received: 24/04/15
Date of ceremony: 26/05/15

[deemah]

[quote="fdie287rg9324r"]

You are trying to defend something indefensible. British Government is earning hundred of millions from immigration applications. According to home office its own figures actual cost of naturalisation application costs just £170 per applicant and rest is profit. While UK passport costs about £150 but it is provided at subsidized rate.
When there was delay in passport application in 2014, home office diverted resources from UK Visas and Immigration to HM Passport Office. I copy relevant comments from Immigration Watch UK:

[deemah]

You are trying to defend something indefensible. British Government is earning hundred of millions from immigration applications. According to home office its own figures actual cost of naturalisation application costs just £170 per applicant and rest is profit. While UK passport costs about £150 but it is provided at subsidized rate.
When there was delay in passport application in 2014, home office diverted resources from UK Visas and Immigration to HM Passport Office. I copy relevant comments from The Migration Observatory UK:
According to the Home Office (2014), the 2013 peak in citizenship grants followed an increase in applications in advance of changes to language requirements, while lower numbers of grants in 2014 were at least in part due to the shifting of resources from UK Visas and Immigration to HM Passport Office. Lower numbers of citizenship applications are also consistent with recent decreases in grants of settlement (from 241,200 in 2010 to 129,800 in 2012 and 154,700 in 2013), which will have reduced the pool of people newly eligible to apply for citizenship.
We should speak to politician in the language they understand. Vote against Conservative and Mrs May on 7th May.

deemah

[shahshah]

. Yes thats strange through dhl. Lets c if his ceremony ltr comes through royal mail.

Hi friends. do they send approval in normal delivery by royal mail or by any other.
i am asking this question as one of my friend got his approval after 7 months by DHL.

Normally approval/citizenship ceremony invitation comes via second class royal mail delivery in a brown envelope unless you have provided them a prepaid self addressed envelope for SD.
It is the cheapest and slowest post as mine was dated 30march and arrived on 10 april. However when you apply for your British pp then U can pay £3 extra for your documents to be returned via recorded delivery which comes through DX.
Not sure how come your friend's came via DHL.

[TheDefib]

Eligibility criteria: 10yr + 1 year ILR
Method of application: NCS Chelmsford
Date of receipt by UKBA: 26th April 2014
Date of debit of fees: 10/05/2014
Date of receipt of acknowledgement: 15/05/2014 (Dated 13/05/2014)
Date of reply to my enquiry at 6 months : 08/02/2015 (Extra checks for "particular circumstances")
Date of receipt of approval: 01/05/2015
Date of Ceremony: Awaiting.

OMG, Congratulations TheDefib.
1 year you have waited. how you managed that?

Thanks mate
It was very frustrating, but I just had to stay calm and wait!

[waiz89k]

You are trying to defend something indefensible. British Government is earning hundred of millions from immigration applications. According to home office its own figures actual cost of naturalisation application costs just £170 per applicant and rest is profit. While UK passport costs about £150 but it is provided at subsidized rate.
When there was delay in passport application in 2014, home office diverted resources from UK Visas and Immigration to HM Passport Office. I copy relevant comments from The Migration Observatory UK:
According to the Home Office (2014), the 2013 peak in citizenship grants followed an increase in applications in advance of changes to language requirements, while lower numbers of grants in 2014 were at least in part due to the shifting of resources from UK Visas and Immigration to HM Passport Office. Lower numbers of citizenship applications are also consistent with recent decreases in grants of settlement (from 241,200 in 2010 to 129,800 in 2012 and 154,700 in 2013), which will have reduced the pool of people newly eligible to apply for citizenship.
We should speak to politician in the language they understand. Vote against Conservative and Mrs May on 7th May.

deemah

According to the John Vine Report on 11 Dec 2014. Each naturalisation application costing HO only £147 rest is pure profit and still service standards are going down month after month.

insufficient Staff. (106 Staff members dealing with naturalisation applications)
Incompetent Staff.
applicant can not get updates.
minimum 6 months processing time which is ridiculous.
Random selections of applications by case workers.

AND

£117417300 PROFIT in 2013.

WHERE IS THAT MONEY GOING.
HO HAS ENOUGH MONEY TO DO THE WHOLE PROCESS IN VERY SHORT TIME & MORE EFFICIENTLY THAN NOW.
BUT WHY WHY WHY AINT THEY DOING IT?

Why cant they introduce online system for updates of applications?
Why cant they give actual and proper updates of applications?
Why cant they deal applications on first come first serve basis?
Why they r not giving proper training to their case workers to deal competently?
Why cant they increase atleast some contractual staff to deal with applications in timely manner?
Why cant they send all correspondence (further inquiries, approvals, invitations etc etc) by atleast first class mail?
Why cant they make the complete process fair, crystal clear and quick?
Why they r refusing people because of 11 Dec changes even they have applied before changes has happened?
Why they r doing whatever they want to do. It seems they r not bound by any law & regulation?
Why there is nobody who is raising their voice against this unfair treatment?
WHY
WHY
WHY

I guess they are doing it deliberately to make immigrants and specially non EEA immigrants suffer coz they can not do anything to EEA immigrants.

This tenure of torries/conservatives was the worst tenure ever for immigrants.

I never voted in any elections just coz of being lazy but this time I am voting and for sure voting for labour not becuase I like them or they r good, It is just because I hate torries/conservatives for giving us unnecessary grief.

[charlesjames]

All,

Can you please retain this thread's sanctity by refraining to post anything that has nothing to do with timelines? Can you please create another posts for your rants and political views?

All of us are frustrated and are waiting.. please do not add to the misery by making us scroll through 100s of posts to find one actual timeline.

and here I have done the same thing, ranted on a page reserved for timelines .

[egoneo]

I'll keep this brief. Profit form ukba/home office applications goes towards paying extra staff to clear out backlogs, and probably to the ukba police to carry out their operations. Although i still reckon they have very little justification for charging absurd prices