British Citizen application (overstayer)

Hi All,

i am in the process to apply for BC (method online) for me, my wife and my two sons, 5 and 8, however i have an issue and i am hesitating if i apply with or no.

to make the long story short, i entered UK in 2007 with student visa, which i have extended it in 2008, but it wasn't the case in 2009, the HO held my passeport and request me to buy a flight ticket in order to retrieve my passport and leave the country, therefore i stayed illegally from march 2009 till july 2011 after getting married to EU citizen, my lawyer requested the passeport that was held by the HO and they stamped it with 5 years resident permit.

in 2016, i was granted a permanent residence and now i am willing to apply for BC after passing the two tests required by the HO.

could you please advise me if i add myself in the application or i do have to wait, and if the case then when shall i be entitle to apply for BC?

my application could be refused under a good character requirement, however i have a letter from an organisation in uk confirming the volunteer work that i did with them in the past, would that help me weight in my favour while making a decision.

regards,

You will likely fail the good character requirment and be refused.

You need 10 years legal residence. If you got married to an EU citizen in 2011, then you will qualify for citizenship in 2021, 10 years after marriage.