Naturalisation and Passport Pilot Scheme

legend786 wrote:As I have read all posts above so I thought I should share my experience and it will help others. I applied my citizenship & passport application together. Thankfully it was approved, attended ceremony (private), had to call HM passport office in order to find out about passport application and point should be noted here by those who have applied same as me " Lady over the phone gave the different passport ref. no than the one was originally printed on passport application form on very first page under the bar code" she explained, ref. no has been changed since then and use the new one from now on as old one does not exist any more,

First of all, congratulations on your application! It must be a nice way to end the year before Xmas. May I ask when you applied and roughly how long it took for you to receive the HO decision letter? Reading your post I did have a few further questions, as I too applied through this pilot scheme.
1) Were you asked to call the passport office after the ceremony, or did you do that after waiting since you didn't receive the passport ? I.e. As they stated when submitting the application with the AN form?
2) I did notice that passport application barcode number was different on the payment slip at the time I submitted my application at the NCS, and they explained that they assign a different one to thats on the original application form (I kept a photocopy of the form with me and also asked for a copy of the payment slip for my records). So that appears to match your experience above.

also she gave me address to post and told me to write down necessary stuff ref. no etc. and surname on right hand side of envelope plus I sent my naturalisation certificate, my current nationality passport, alongside covering letter mentioning about passport application with passport office pending already and postal order for £3 to get my certificate and other important documents through secure delivery before interview. I am still waiting for response from them and will update accordingly. I hope it helps!

3) I'm slightly confused as to why you had to send your naturalisation certificate and current passport, along with the fee to return those supporting documents - did she explain why? The whole purpose of this pilot scheme was to avoid doing that, as per the NCS staff and what's published on the council websites!
4) Additionally, another benefit was that we wouldn't have to attend an identity interview, as that was supposed to be done via the single biometric appointment - AN application (because the two applications were submitted at the same time). This again appears to deviate from what the NCS staff advised, and what's published on the council websites! All these points appear to indicate that the scheme hasn't quite been implemented as planned by the HO - no fault of the NCS services as they would only be able to advise applicants based on what they have been told!

Several advantages of the scheme, appear to be non-existent, based on your experience. Do let us know the process as you proceed with your passport application - it'll certainly help those of us who have applied through this pilot scheme now, and those who are considering applying through it in the future.

I have exactly the same questions as @cs95tdg. Its a shame if we have to do all of what we were promised would not happen putting the passport application at the same time as the AN.

Take a look at the timeline:

legend786 wrote:Eligibility criteria:10 years long residency + 1year ILR
Language criteria met: B1 English Certificate + LITUK
Passport Held: Pakistan
Method of application: Baxely Council
Date of application: 25/09/2015
Payment method: debit card
Date of receipt by UKBA: 30/09/2015
Date of acknowledgement: 02/10/2015
Date money gone off account: 01/10/2015
Date of letter requesting biometrics: 03/10/2015
Biometrics done:06/10/2015
Date of approval : 05/12/2015 (received 14/12/2015)
Date of ceremony : 17/12/2015 (Private)

cs95tdg wrote:

legend786 wrote:As I have read all posts above so I thought I should share my experience and it will help others. I applied my citizenship & passport application together. Thankfully it was approved, attended ceremony (private), had to call HM passport office in order to find out about passport application and point should be noted here by those who have applied same as me " Lady over the phone gave the different passport ref. no than the one was originally printed on passport application form on very first page under the bar code" she explained, ref. no has been changed since then and use the new one from now on as old one does not exist any more,

First of all, congratulations on your application! It must be a nice way to end the year before Xmas. May I ask when you applied and roughly how long it took for you to receive the HO decision letter? Reading your post I did have a few further questions, as I too applied through this pilot scheme.
1) Were you asked to call the passport office after the ceremony, or did you do that after waiting since you didn't receive the passport ? I.e. As they stated when submitting the application with the AN form?
2) I did notice that passport application barcode number was different on the payment slip at the time I submitted my application at the NCS, and they explained that they assign a different one to thats on the original application form (I kept a photocopy of the form with me and also asked for a copy of the payment slip for my records). So that appears to match your experience above.

also she gave me address to post and told me to write down necessary stuff ref. no etc. and surname on right hand side of envelope plus I sent my naturalisation certificate, my current nationality passport, alongside covering letter mentioning about passport application with passport office pending already and postal order for £3 to get my certificate and other important documents through secure delivery before interview. I am still waiting for response from them and will update accordingly. I hope it helps!

3) I'm slightly confused as to why you had to send your naturalisation certificate and current passport, along with the fee to return those supporting documents - did she explain why? The whole purpose of this pilot scheme was to avoid doing that, as per the NCS staff and what's published on the council websites!
4) Additionally, another benefit was that we wouldn't have to attend an identity interview, as that was supposed to be done via the single biometric appointment - AN application (because the two applications were submitted at the same time). This again appears to deviate from what the NCS staff advised, and what's published on the council websites! All these points appear to indicate that the scheme hasn't quite been implemented as planned by the HO - no fault of the NCS services as they would only be able to advise applicants based on what they have been told!

Several advantages of the scheme, appear to be non-existent, based on your experience. Do let us know the process as you proceed with your passport application - it'll certainly help those of us who have applied through this pilot scheme now, and those who are considering applying through it in the future.

Here is my timeline


Eligibility criteria:10 years long residency + 1year ILR
Language criteria met: B1 English Certificate + LITUK
Passport Held: Pakistan
Method of application: Baxely Council
Date of application: 25/09/2015
Payment method: debit card
Date of receipt by UKBA: 30/09/2015
Date of acknowledgement: 02/10/2015
Date money gone off account: 01/10/2015
Date of letter requesting biometrics: 03/10/2015
Biometrics done:06/10/2015
Date of approval : 05/12/2015 (received 14/12/2015)
Date of ceremony : 17/12/2015 (Private)



I totally agreed what you just mentioned in your previous post

1. I contacted passport office right after my ceremony and I told them how I applied my citizenship application with passport application and advised by them to send naturalised certificate & dual nationality passport with covering letter mentioning all situation

Trouble is, to deal with HO first then passport office is same experience no difference what so ever. What else i can say, that's how i was told to do

You must one of the very first ones to use this joint application thing and it is possible they could still be figuring out how to go about the logistics.

During my NCS apt, the passport application barcode was replaced with another sticker with some numbers and said JCAP. I was told the passport guys will know automatically when I have attended the ceremony and I should just get it delivered in a few days from Liverpool.

Both Naturalisation and Passport offices for this scheme are in Liverpool but at a differnet physical address.

fielddrive wrote:You must one of the very first ones to use this joint application thing and it is possible they could still be figuring out how to go about the logistics.

During my NCS apt, the passport application barcode was replaced with another sticker with some numbers and said JCAP. I was told the passport guys will know automatically when I have attended the ceremony and I should just get it delivered in a few days from Liverpool.

Both Naturalisation and Passport offices for this scheme are in Liverpool but at a differnet physical address.

As you quoted this scheme is still in early stages and might take some time to collaborate with these departments once citizenship application is approved. I might receive my british passport soon who knows but now after i read this topic i have to call them on monday to double check what's going on with this scheme so let's wait and see

Thanks and keep us posted with our progress!

legend786 wrote: Here is my timeline

Eligibility criteria:10 years long residency + 1year ILR
Language criteria met: B1 English Certificate + LITUK
Passport Held: Pakistan
Method of application: Baxely Council
Date of application: 25/09/2015
Payment method: debit card
Date of receipt by UKBA: 30/09/2015
Date of acknowledgement: 02/10/2015
Date money gone off account: 01/10/2015
Date of letter requesting biometrics: 03/10/2015
Biometrics done:06/10/2015
Date of approval : 05/12/2015 (received 14/12/2015)
Date of ceremony : 17/12/2015 (Private)

I totally agreed what you just mentioned in your previous post

1. I contacted passport office right after my ceremony and I told them how I applied my citizenship application with passport application and advised by them to send naturalised certificate & dual nationality passport with covering letter mentioning all situation

Trouble is, to deal with HO first then passport office is same experience no difference what so ever. What else i can say, that's how i was told to do

Thanks for sharing your experience, it's a shame that you appear to have been asked to do exactly the same as if you had submitted the AN application and passport application separately. Looking at your timeline, it appears that the decision was issued in approximately 2 months from biometric enrolment. As fielddrive has mentioned you appear to be one of the first to have been approved under the pilot scheme, so as mentioned it maybe that they haven't quite got the logistics in place for information to flow between the HO naturalisation section and HMPO, to advise them of when applicants have attended their ceremony and to also share biometric details & the certified copies of passport etc, which were taken & submitted by the NCS. I'll be watching this space to see how other pilot scheme applicants fare using this scheme. Do let us know when you receive your passport, so we can see the current pilot scheme application timeline from beginning to end.

fielddrive wrote:During my NCS apt, the passport application barcode was replaced with another sticker with some numbers and said JCAP. I was told the passport guys will know automatically when I have attended the ceremony and I should just get it delivered in a few days from Liverpool.

Exactly the same, was done in mine. I asked for a copy of payment form, so that I had it with me as a reference. Then realised that the sticker was also stuck on the Passport check receipt they gave me.

cs95tdg wrote:

legend786 wrote: Here is my timeline

Eligibility criteria:10 years long residency + 1year ILR
Language criteria met: B1 English Certificate + LITUK
Passport Held: Pakistan
Method of application: Baxely Council
Date of application: 25/09/2015
Payment method: debit card
Date of receipt by UKBA: 30/09/2015
Date of acknowledgement: 02/10/2015
Date money gone off account: 01/10/2015
Date of letter requesting biometrics: 03/10/2015
Biometrics done:06/10/2015
Date of approval : 05/12/2015 (received 14/12/2015)
Date of ceremony : 17/12/2015 (Private)

I totally agreed what you just mentioned in your previous post

1. I contacted passport office right after my ceremony and I told them how I applied my citizenship application with passport application and advised by them to send naturalised certificate & dual nationality passport with covering letter mentioning all situation

Trouble is, to deal with HO first then passport office is same experience no difference what so ever. What else i can say, that's how i was told to do

Thanks for sharing your experience, it's a shame that you appear to have been asked to do exactly the same as if you had submitted the AN application and passport application separately. Looking at your timeline, it appears that the decision was issued in approximately 2 months from biometric enrolment. As fielddrive has mentioned you appear to be one of the first to have been approved under the pilot scheme, so as mentioned it maybe that they haven't quite got the logistics in place for information to flow between the HO naturalisation section and HMPO, to advise them of when applicants have attended their ceremony and to also share biometric details & the certified copies of passport etc, which were taken & submitted by the NCS. I'll be watching this space to see how other pilot scheme applicants fare using this scheme. Do let us know when you receive your passport, so we can see the current pilot scheme application timeline from beginning to end.

fielddrive wrote:During my NCS apt, the passport application barcode was replaced with another sticker with some numbers and said JCAP. I was told the passport guys will know automatically when I have attended the ceremony and I should just get it delivered in a few days from Liverpool.

Exactly the same, was done in mine. I asked for a copy of payment form, so that I had it with me as a reference. Then realised that the sticker was also stuck on the Passport check receipt they gave me.

Yeah I quite agree with both of your opinions but will update you guys on Monday once I spoke with them to get some clarification on this

Is it possible to apply for passport after one's applied for citizenship? i didn't even know it were possible to do so - i've just submitted my citizenship application to NCS on 16th Dec

Stoli wrote:Is it possible to apply for passport after one's applied for citizenship? i didn't even know it were possible to do so - i've just submitted my citizenship application to NCS on 16th Dec

You will need to wait to apply for a passport until your BC application has been approved and you have attended your Citizenship ceremony.

Stoli wrote:Is it possible to apply for passport after one's applied for citizenship? i didn't even know it were possible to do so - i've just submitted my citizenship application to NCS on 16th Dec

As you've already submitted your AN application, you'll have to wait for the decision & apply for the passport once you've attended the ceremony.

The pilot scheme referred to in this topic isn't offered by all councils at the moment. And if anyone wants to submit both AN & passport applications together, they will need to find a council that offers this pilot scheme and request for both a NCS & passport check appointment together at the time of booking the appointment.

I applied for both naturalisation and passport at the same time on 15th October. The NCS lady (at Kent County Council Canterbury) did not replace the passport application barcode with 'JCAP' like fielddrive

A month later I tracked my passport application online (I know it's still at early stage but I was interested to see what it would say on the website). I got an email through to say 'Please give a valid barcode'!! I double checked the paper work and reference number the NCS lady gave me and it was correct. It's either she wrote it down wrong or the barcode reference was changed/replaced by the passport office Now I do not know how to track it without a valid reference number.

I do hope I don't have to submit anything to the passport office!! That's the whole idea of applying for both at the same time.

sirina wrote:I applied for both naturalisation and passport at the same time on 15th October. The NCS lady (at Kent County Council Canterbury) did not replace the passport application barcode with 'JCAP' like fielddrive

A month later I tracked my passport application online (I know it's still at early stage but I was interested to see what it would say on the website). I got an email through to say 'Please give a valid barcode'!! I double checked the paper work and reference number the NCS lady gave me and it was correct. It's either she wrote it down wrong or the barcode reference was changed/replaced by the passport office Now I do not know how to track it without a valid reference number.

I do hope I don't have to submit anything to the passport office!! That's the whole idea of applying for both at the same time.

I wouldn't worry too much at the moment. I'd wait until you receive the decision on your AN application and then call to enquire if you do not hear anything from them.

It may be during the early stages of the pilot scheme (September, October) , they didn't inform applicants about the change of barcode at the time of the NCS appointment. This is what appears to have happened in the case of legend786 who applied in September as well. I applied in mid November and was informed about the change in barcode by the NCS when I noticed the difference and enquired about it.

I'm curious as to how/where you attempted to track your passport application? Was it on the HMPO website? If so I'm not sure if it would even be possible to track it on the website at this early stage, as it would in essence be kept on hold until such a time your AN application is approved. I haven't tried this myself though.

cs95tdg wrote:
I'm curious as to how/where you attempted to track your passport application? Was it on the HMPO website? If so I'm not sure if it would even be possible to track it on the website at this early stage, as it would in essence be kept on hold until such a time your AN application is approved. I haven't tried this myself though.

cs95tdg, funnily enough after I posted a reply on here, I tried again with the same barcode number on https://passportofficeforms.service.gov ... ation.ofml - the same website I tried to track first time. I have just received an email from hmpo@reply.co.uk to say:

---------------------------------------------
Dear Miss XXXX

Thank you for your enquiry.

I can confirm that your passport application was received by the Liverpool Passport Office on the 20/10/2015.

Your passport application is currently going through the examination process.

Correctly completed applications are generally being processed within the timescales of the service you have applied for:

If you posted your application the current processing time is approximately 4 weeks, allowing for postage. Please note this is not a guaranteed service time.

If you applied using the Check and Send service, available through selected branches of Post Office Limited, your application has a turnaround target of 3 weeks. This, however, is not a guaranteed service and turnaround times may exceed this during periods of peak demand.

Thank you

Customer service e-mail team
---------------------------------------------

I assume this is just a generic reply but at least my barcode works this time somehow

sirina wrote:
cs95tdg, funnily enough after I posted a reply on here, I tried again with the same barcode number on https://passportofficeforms.service.gov ... ation.ofml - the same website I tried to track first time. I have just received an email from hmpo@reply.co.uk to say:

---------------------------------------------
Dear Miss XXXX

Thank you for your enquiry.

I can confirm that your passport application was received by the Liverpool Passport Office on the 20/10/2015.

Your passport application is currently going through the examination process.

Correctly completed applications are generally being processed within the timescales of the service you have applied for:

If you posted your application the current processing time is approximately 4 weeks, allowing for postage. Please note this is not a guaranteed service time.

If you applied using the Check and Send service, available through selected branches of Post Office Limited, your application has a turnaround target of 3 weeks. This, however, is not a guaranteed service and turnaround times may exceed this during periods of peak demand.

Thank you

Customer service e-mail team
---------------------------------------------

I assume this is just a generic reply but at least my barcode works this time somehow

Interesting to know... at least you have comfort in knowledge that your passport application is in the system. I'll try this in a few weeks myself

sirina wrote:

cs95tdg wrote:I'm curious as to how/where you attempted to track your passport application? Was it on the HMPO website? If so I'm not sure if it would even be possible to track it on the website at this early stage, as it would in essence be kept on hold until such a time your AN application is approved. I haven't tried this myself though.

cs95tdg, funnily enough after I posted a reply on here, I tried again with the same barcode number on https://passportofficeforms.service.gov ... ation.ofml - the same website I tried to track first time. I have just received an email from hmpo@reply.co.uk to say:

---------------------------------------------
Dear Miss XXXX

Thank you for your enquiry.

I can confirm that your passport application was received by the Liverpool Passport Office on the 20/10/2015.

Your passport application is currently going through the examination process.

Correctly completed applications are generally being processed within the timescales of the service you have applied for:

If you posted your application the current processing time is approximately 4 weeks, allowing for postage. Please note this is not a guaranteed service time.

If you applied using the Check and Send service, available through selected branches of Post Office Limited, your application has a turnaround target of 3 weeks. This, however, is not a guaranteed service and turnaround times may exceed this during periods of peak demand.

Thank you

Customer service e-mail team
---------------------------------------------

I assume this is just a generic reply but at least my barcode works this time somehow

Yes that's interesting & good to know that they have your application on record, i might try tracking mine later to see if they have it recorded on their system as well.

Hi guys,

Here is update,

First of all no point applying citizenship & passport app together because i phoned passport office today she told me, i have to attend an interview as normal as it makes no difference what so ever applying passport app at the same time of citizenship app so now it's same procedure to follow.

Hyde

What a whole load of bo****ck* ...

This is the excerpt from Brent council:

Customers who use our Nationality Checking Service are now also able to apply for their UK passport at the same time as their citizenship application.
This new easier and efficient service has been developed in partnership with the Home Office. If your citizenship application is successful, and a ceremony is attended, your new passport will be dispatched to your home.

and another one...

Kent Council

You are now able to apply for your UK passport at the same time as your citizenship application.

This easy, efficient service has been developed in partnership with the Home Office. If your citizenship application is successful and a ceremony is attended, your new passport will be dispatched to your home.

It does not say you have to attend an interview

Look Gloucestershire even dwell on the benefits:

NEW PASSPORT CHECK AND SEND SERVICE

We are now able to offer customers who go through the Nationality Checking Service a supplementary service that allows them to apply for a British passport at the same time as making the citizenship application.

At present the citizenship application and the subsequent passport application are completely separate processes. An application for a British passport can only be made once the nationality application has been decided and a citizenship ceremony has been attended. This two stage application process does mean a time delay between obtaining British Citizenship and getting a passport.

Our new service, which has been developed in partnership with the Home Office, enables both applications to be submitted together. The passport application is held until the citizenship application has been decided and a ceremony attended. The passport is then released by HM Passport Office and is dispatched to the applicant's home address shortly after the ceremony thereby making the whole process more efficient and easier for the customer.

You can tell I am not at all happy... Might as well just do one and not risk Passport fee

I wouldn't rely on the information given by the Home Office 'helpline'. They are notorious for frequently giving incorrect advice, even for the most straightforward procedures. This new service is probably beyond their knowledge level.

True @Casa... lets hope that is exactly what it is.. age old home office incompetence

fielddrive wrote:UPDATE

Eligibility criteria: 10 years + ILR
Language criteria met: UK Degree
Method of application: Wandsworth NCS plus Passport
Date of application: 07/12/2015
Payment method: Credit Card
Date of receipt by UKBA: 08/12/2015
Date of acknowledgement: 16/12/2015 (Dated 11/12/2015)
Date money gone off account (AN): 11/12/2015
Date money gone off account (Passport):
Date of letter requesting biometrics: 16/12/2015 (Dated 11/12/2015)
Biometrics done: 16/12/2015
Date of approval:
Date of ceremony:
Date applied for passports: 07/12/2015
Date passports received:

How can you apply for passports same time when you apply for naturalization? Please guide as my understanding is you need to wait for approval and oat.

Logicalman wrote:

fielddrive wrote:UPDATE

Eligibility criteria: 10 years + ILR
Language criteria met: UK Degree
Method of application: Wandsworth NCS plus Passport
Date of application: 07/12/2015
Payment method: Credit Card
Date of receipt by UKBA: 08/12/2015
Date of acknowledgement: 16/12/2015 (Dated 11/12/2015)
Date money gone off account (AN): 11/12/2015
Date money gone off account (Passport):
Date of letter requesting biometrics: 16/12/2015 (Dated 11/12/2015)
Biometrics done: 16/12/2015
Date of approval:
Date of ceremony:
Date applied for passports: 07/12/2015
Date passports received:

How can you apply for passports same time when you apply for naturalization? Please guide as my understanding is you need to wait for approval and oat.

I have moved your post/question to this thread. Please do not post general questions in the application timeline threads.

Also see the link below as it contains other links to the councils participating in the scheme.

http://www.immigrationboards.com/britis ... 98846.html

Logicalman wrote: How can you apply for passports same time when you apply for naturalization? Please guide as my understanding is you need to wait for approval and oat.

Hey @Logicalman

Like @CR001 has pointed out, a select few councils are offering a streamline service where you can apply for passport at the same time as naturalisation, Gloucestershire council sums it up nicely:

NEW PASSPORT CHECK AND SEND SERVICE

We are now able to offer customers who go through the Nationality Checking Service a supplementary service that allows them to apply for a British passport at the same time as making the citizenship application.

At present the citizenship application and the subsequent passport application are completely separate processes. An application for a British passport can only be made once the nationality application has been decided and a citizenship ceremony has been attended. This two stage application process does mean a time delay between obtaining British Citizenship and getting a passport.

Our new service, which has been developed in partnership with the Home Office, enables both applications to be submitted together. The passport application is held until the citizenship application has been decided and a ceremony attended. The passport is then released by HM Passport Office and is dispatched to the applicant's home address shortly after the ceremony thereby making the whole process more efficient and easier for the customer.

legend786 wrote:Hi guys,

Here is update,

First of all no point applying citizenship & passport app together because i phoned passport office today she told me, i have to attend an interview as normal as it makes no difference what so ever applying passport app at the same time of citizenship app so now it's same procedure to follow.

Hyde

Thanks for sharing the update. But as Casa has mentioned I personally don't hold much weight on information provided over HO helplines. As most of the time they are not literate in their own policies or the detail behind them. Let's wait & see what comes out over the coming weeks, based on our personal experiences. Hope you receive your passport soon.