UKM application experience and timeline

Jeda wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:27 pm

cobra2 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:03 pm

I got all my documents back today in the mail, really thought they sent an email to approve you and then mailed your documents back but apparently not. Letter of approval is in there and dated May 20th.

Hi Cobra2
Very happy to hear your news. Funny how some of us get an email first. At least you've got your approval and docs back. If your timeline is anything like mine, you should get your ceremony invitation (mine was by email) from the British Consulate (if outside UK) in about 3.5 months. My ceremony is in just over a week. It will be exactly a year since I applied.

Jeda

I wonder if it depends on what country you are applying from. I am in the US and the letter they sent said the embassy should contact me for the ceremony within 12 weeks and if they don't, the letter provided an email address I can contact (I will set my expectations low for an invite within 12 weeks lol). I don't have an embassy in my state so I think the one that services my state is in Seattle so I will have to make a trip out of it. Let us know how the ceremony goes, I honestly haven't paid much attention to or looked that much into these next steps of ceremony and passport application, I have just been focused on getting through the application process.

Here is my time line:

Eligibility Criteria: UKM
Nationality: USA
Applying from: USA
Method of application: Online with documents sent via post
Payment method: Credit card
Date of application: 03/11/2020
Date funds withdrawn: 03/11/2020
Date of UKVI acknowledgement email: 04/11/2020
Date documents sent via DHL: 17/11/2020
Date of receipt by UKVI (per tracking): 18/11/2020
Biometrics Requested: 07/02/2021
Email sent to HO requesting biometrics appointment: 07/02/2021
Followup email sent to HO regarding biometrics appt: 07/04/2021
Biometrics appointment received: 10/04/2021
Biometrics appointment date: 13/04/2021
Date of approval: 20/05/2021
Documents returned: 03/06/21

cobra2 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:48 pm

I am in the US and the letter they sent said the embassy should contact me for the ceremony within 12 weeks and if they don't, the letter provided an email address I can contact (I will set my expectations low for an invite within 12 weeks lol).

I'm in Atlanta (and the ceremony will be in Atlanta) and my letter flat out said don't contact them. It has been 16+ weeks since my approval. I don't suppose you could PM me that email address?

MickByNameAndNature wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 04, 2021 12:17 am

I'm in Atlanta (and the ceremony will be in Atlanta) and my letter flat out said don't contact them. It has been 16+ weeks since my approval. I don't suppose you could PM me that email address?

Hi Mick, yeah its just citizenship.support@homeoffice.gov.uk, hopefully this helps and you can get an appointment.

cobra2 wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 04, 2021 3:57 am

Hi Mick, yeah its just citizenship.support@homeoffice.gov.uk, hopefully this helps and you can get an appointment.

Thanks for that, now I'm struggling with the internal debate of obey the instructions in my letter advising not to contact or go with my gut telling me to send a quick but polite email. Probably the latter...

MickByNameAndNature wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 05, 2021 10:50 pm

Thanks for that, now I'm struggling with the internal debate of obey the instructions in my letter advising not to contact or go with my gut telling me to send a quick but polite email. Probably the latter...

I sent the email.

Hello,

My name is MickByNameAndNature and my UKM citizenship application was approved on
February 11, 2021.  I completely understand the delays that have occurred due to
Covid 19and have been waiting patiently.  With that being said, it has now been 6+ weeks
since myapproval and restrictions in Atlanta, GA are pretty much back to normal.
I was wondering if I could get an estimated timeframe of when the ceremony might 
take place?

Yours truly,
MickByNameAndNature 

Hopefully I get a good response.

Also, in my reply I put the correct time of 16+ weeks, not 6+ weeks, that was a typo.

MickByNameAndNature wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 05, 2021 11:09 pm

Also, in my reply I put the correct time of 16+ weeks, not 6+ weeks, that was a typo.

Hi Mick

I would have written also. My philosophy is if you don't ask, you don't get.
I hope to hear about your ceremony letter very soon.
Best,
Jeda

I'm also in that camp, but a little anxious about upsetting the apple cart, so to speak. Anyway, it has been sent now.

Only 10 days to go until you are official!

MickByNameAndNature wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 12:01 am

I'm also in that camp, but a little anxious about upsetting the apple cart, so to speak. Anyway, it has been sent now.

Only 10 days to go until you are official!

Ha ha!! Yes! Taking husband and friend who are Brit citizens already. Now I will no longer be the odd one out. I can trace my family back to the conquerer and beyond so I really needed to do this. My parents were so English and we lived there for a long time but it does feel odd we have to go through all this paperwork and time so we can "register" as Brits. They need to change the law so it shouldn't matter which parent was born in UK - ie if Dad had been born there I wouldn't have to do it. Dad had a British passport his entire life.

If your dad had a British passport, why didn't you qualify under UKF?

MickByNameAndNature wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 12:10 am

If your dad had a British passport, why didn't you qualify under UKF?

Dad was born in Australia - his parents born in UK so he was automatically a British citizen via his father. His entitlement by descent does not extend to me. He left Australia as a baby and grew up in UK. Dad and I are the only ones in our entire family not born in England.

Ah, so you would have been double descent by F.

Anyway, all the best on the 15th, go out for fish and chips after, and report back and tell us all how it went!

MickByNameAndNature wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 12:18 am

Ah, so you would have been double descent by F.

Anyway, all the best on the 15th, go out for fish and chips after, and report back and tell us all how it went!

Yes double descent. I could have obtained it at one point as I lived there more than 5 years but thought UKM was easier. I was going to do afternoon tea afterwards but can't find anywhere here as good as The Savoy or Claridges etc lol. So fish and chips it may be. Will post again after the 15th.

Jeda wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 12:07 am

My parents were so English and we lived there for a long time but it does feel odd we have to go through all this paperwork and time so we can "register" as Brits. They need to change the law so it shouldn't matter which parent was born in UK - ie if Dad had been born there I wouldn't have to do it. Dad had a British passport his entire life.

I see that there is now a form UKF so maybe they are changing it in the other direction? Haven't researched it, but saw the form was there...

Anyway I agree, I waited for so long for each small change to the law and then I could finally apply. When I was 18, way back in the 20th century (lol, 1991) I wrote to the British Embassy in the US asking about my options to get British Citizenship and they wrote back saying there were no options. All that has changed now and hopefully in the coming months I will achieve a 30 year goal.

MickByNameAndNature wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 12:25 am

Jeda wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 06, 2021 12:07 am

My parents were so English and we lived there for a long time but it does feel odd we have to go through all this paperwork and time so we can "register" as Brits. They need to change the law so it shouldn't matter which parent was born in UK - ie if Dad had been born there I wouldn't have to do it. Dad had a British passport his entire life.

I see that there is now a form UKF so maybe they are changing it in the other direction? Haven't researched it, but saw the form was there...

Anyway I agree, I waited for so long for each small change to the law and then I could finally apply. When I was 18, way back in the 20th century (lol, 1991) I wrote to the British Embassy in the US asking about my options to get British Citizenship and they wrote back saying there were no options. All that has changed now and hopefully in the coming months I will achieve a 30 year goal.

I had a "right of abode stamp" in my all Aussie passports as that had always been the easiest and cheapest option. This gave me exactly the same UK rights as any UK citizen. But, like you, I watched the law change and acted. I'm also achieving a 30 year goal. Finally I will be able to say "I am British, born in Australia".

I notified Citizenship Support that my mailing address is changing due to an impending move, and received the following reply. Thought this may be of interest to those of us awaiting our ceremony invitation letters:

I have informed the United States - Washington British Embassy Consular Section of your change of address. Your documents were dispatched to the consulate on 25th May 2021, our post abroad is sent by diplomatic bag, which is a secure delivery system. This can take up to 12 weeks for our delivery to reach its destination.

Once the consulate is in receipt of your documents, they will contact them (sic) to arrange a ceremony date.

For reference, my approval was dated 8 May, with documents returned 21 May.

cnhartford wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 08, 2021 3:59 pm

I notified Citizenship Support that my mailing address is changing due to an impending move, and received the following reply. Thought this may be of interest to those of us awaiting our ceremony invitation letters:

I have informed the United States - Washington British Embassy Consular Section of your change of address. Your documents were dispatched to the consulate on 25th May 2021, our post abroad is sent by diplomatic bag, which is a secure delivery system. This can take up to 12 weeks for our delivery to reach its destination.

Once the consulate is in receipt of your documents, they will contact them (sic) to arrange a ceremony date.

For reference, my approval was dated 8 May, with documents returned 21 May.

Yes, that is helpful to know. My approval was Feb 11 but if it was sent to the consulate 2-3 weeks later, and can then take up to 12 weeks.... And that is assuming they were sending them to the US during that time and it wasn't delayed by any travel restrictions, though for diplomatic bags I wouldn't think so. Hopefully I will hear something soon. I haven't heard back from the email I sent Saturday yet. Still have my fingers crossed.

Hi everyone - this is a great thread to follow and for seeing the timelines right now.

I am a British citizen already but my husband has applied via form UKM. We are wondering when we might hear something else. His timeline is:

Eligibility criteria: UKM

Nationality: South African (but lived in the UK for about 20 years with indefinite leave to remain until we relocated to Canada)

Applying from: Canada

Method of application: Online

Payment method: Credit card

Date of application: 2021-03-28

Date documents sent: (Royal Mail) 2021-04-08 (Because of getting our references sorted out we had my mum coordinate all the documents and referee forms in the UK. So we sent my husband's documents to her, she compiled stuff from our referees, and she sent to the Home Office people. I think this is when she sent them).

Date money gone off account: 2021-03-28

Date of acknowledgement by UKVI (by email): 2021-03-29

Date of receipt by UKVI (as confirmed by Royal Mail): 2021-04-09 (I think. Don't remember these dates exactly so give or take a few days. My mum definitely posted them soon after Easter weekend)

Date of email requesting biometrics: 2021-04-12 (This required scheduling of an appointment using an online portal which did not work. We had a back and forth via email and were told to just turn up at the centre one day. The day before we were set to go in, the appointment portal was working, so we booked the below date as it worked with our schedules).

Biometrics appointment: 2021-05-18

We haven't heard anything since. We are not sure if this will be straight forward or not. My husband is already in the UK system as he lived there for so long with indefinite leave to remain, has a National Insurance number etc. His mother although British, was born in Malta (so has a Maltese birth certificate), and lives in South Africa (but never took SA citizenship). So we will just have to wait and see.

Great news! Last week I received in the USPS mail / DHL a packet from the UK with my citizenship approval letter - hard copy - together with my documents (all originals and certain copies) being returned! I received no email notification, just the small packet in the mail.

Here is my timeline - 186 days (just over 6 months) from application to approval:

Eligibility criteria: UKM

Nationality: United States

Applying from: United States

Method of application: Online

Payment method: Credit card

Date of application: 2020-11-15

Date documents sent: (UPS) 2020-11-16

Date money gone off account: 2020-11-16

Date of acknowledgement by UKVI (by email): 2020-11-16

Date of receipt by UKVI (as confirmed by UPS): 2020-11-18

Date of email requesting biometrics and date of my reply with availability: 2021-02-17

Date of email from UKVI with biometrics appointment: 2021-04-08

Biometrics appointment completed: 2021-04-12

Date of citizenship approval: 2021-05-20

Documents returned: 2021-06-01

So as others have noted the letter from the Home Office indicates that my application has been successful and I will be contacted "shortly" inviting me to attend a citizenship ceremony, and if I'm not contacted within the next 12 weeks I should contact the Citizenship Support office.

Note that I DID NOT send my original unexpired passport, but made color copies of every page (including the blank ones) and sent that instead. I did send my original expired US passport and my Mum's expired UK passport. All other reference documents were color copies, which I had read could work, and thankfully it did! I didn't want to be without my passport for 6 months!

So now it's just a wait for the citizenship ceremony and then I assume I can apply for a passport. Cheers and best of luck to everyone waiting to hear!

BostonBrit wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 11, 2021 2:57 am

So now it's just a wait for the citizenship ceremony and then I assume I can apply for a passport. Cheers and best of luck to everyone waiting to hear!

Hi BostonBrit
Yes you can definitely apply for your passport once you have done the ceremony as then you will legally be a British Citizen. You will be given your certificate on the day, after you have said your words to The Queen.

I am attending my ceremony this Tuesday (it took about 12 weeks to get the letter via email from the British Consulate in my city offering me a choice of time and dates to attend).
You will need your certificate of Registration to apply online for your British passport and I believe it must then be sent to the Home Office to sight it. Why they cannot get confirmation from the UKM Form processing department that they have issued it, is beyond me. We keep DHL in business it seems.

I'll apply for my UK passport late next week. Current wait times are 13 weeks for a passport.

But then, we're all good at waiting aren't we after going through this process.
Keep calm and wait.
All the best,
Jeda

Hi All

Yesterday I attended my British citizenship ceremony in Western Australia.
It was short - there were only 2 of us.
I said my oath and then was given my certificate - it was all very informal and friendly but of course that is most likely as there was just the two of us.

You are given some info on being a dual citizen and a "Help for British people" leaflet.

So, there you have it - not much else to report really.

I'm glad this journey is now finally over for me and all everyone has to do is follow the process and be very patient. Yesterday was exactly a year since I did my online application.

This week I will apply for my UK passport so I guess the final thing is the passport arriving at my door.

Best of luck everyone! Keep Calm, Carry On and Be Patient - because we are British remember

Jeda

Congratulations, Jeda!!

Still no update on my end, even no response from my email. Still trying to wait patiently, though.

Good to see you made it! All the best.

MickByNameAndNature wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 16, 2021 2:22 am

Congratulations, Jeda!!

Still no update on my end, even no response from my email. Still trying to wait patiently, though.

Good to see you made it! All the best.

Thanks!!! Hopefully you hear very soon. Can't be much longer now.

My biometric appointment went missing. I suspect that it ended up in spam and got autodeleted. I sent an email to the biometric mailbox who came to my rescue and sent out a new invite. Hopefully everything is back on track.
Moral: check your spam folder, frequently.

MickByNameAndNature wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 16, 2021 2:22 am

Congratulations, Jeda!!

Still no update on my end, even no response from my email. Still trying to wait patiently, though.

Good to see you made it! All the best.

I'm not sure if you've tried this, but have you contacted the consulate where your ceremony will be held? Usually it's the closest consulate to you. I needed to switch consulates, as my preference was to complete my ceremony in my hometown, which I don't live anywhere near currently. I emailed them and explained the situation. They were more than happy to accommodate my request. I don't think it would hurt to shoot them an email at their general mailbox and see what happens. They may be able to track down your paperwork if they don't have it. I don't believe emailing will impact your situation negatively, as you've already been approved and well over 12 weeks have past since your approval. Worst case, they don't respond.

The general email is formatted like "UKinBoston@fco.gov.uk". Just change the city name to the city the consulate is in.