Eligibility for British Citizenship – Wife and Child (ILR via 10-Year Long Residence Route)

Dear Advisor

Situation Summary
1. Husband:
• Obtained ILR via 10-year long residence route
• Became British citizen in 2023

2. Wife:
• Married to husband for 20 years
• Lived in the UK for 10 years on various visas (work dependent, family)
• Obtained ILR via 10-year long residence route 6 months ago(2025)
• No gaps in lawful residence (absences <40 days/year)

3. Child:
• Born abroad
• Lived in UK with parents
• Obtained ILR via same 10-year long residence

Query

Given the above situation:

1. Wife’s citizenship eligibility:
• Does she need to wait 12 months after obtaining ILR before applying for British citizenship, or can she apply immediately as the spouse of a British citizen?
• Does the fact that her relationship started before the husband became British affect her eligibility or impose any ILR waiting requirement?


2. Child’s citizenship eligibility:
• Can the child apply for registration as a British citizen immediately, or must the child wait until the mother becomes British first?
• Does the route via 10-year long residence ILR affect the timing for child registration?


3. Any combined family strategy:
• Would it be advisable to apply for the wife’s citizenship first and then the child, or can applications be coordinated?


4. Fees and practical considerations:
• Confirmation that applying now for the wife and later for the child avoids duplicate fees
• Any known Home Office discretion issues for children born abroad with ILR via long residence where one parent is British and the other is ILR

Both child and wife can apply for citizenship, in any order you want. The fees will be the same in any order you choose to apply.

I have outlined my situation and queries above and would kindly request that you review them carefully.

I understand that some of these questions may have been asked previously; however, they are very important to my circumstances. I am currently hearing that there is a 12-month waiting period after obtaining Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) before applying for British citizenship, although there appears to be conflicting information regarding whether this applies to spouses of British citizens.
In addition, I understand from some sources that if citizenship applications are submitted in a particular order, I may need to pay an additional fee for my child’s application, which may not be required if my child is eligible for direct registration. I have read differing information on this point, and I am unsure whether my understanding is correct.

I would therefore be grateful if you could review my situation and clearly answer my queries, as the information I have received so far has not helped me fully understand the correct position. Your guidance on the appropriate steps in my case would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response.

My apologies for reposting my queries in this thread. I have done so because the response I received in another thread suggested that I apply for citizenship for both my wife and child in any order. However, I have read elsewhere that a child’s application may not be required at all, as the child may qualify for direct registration/enrolment.

Given this conflicting information, I humbly and kindly request that you review my queries in relation to ILR and citizenship.I would greatly appreciate your guidance and suggestions on the correct approach.


Dear Advisor

Situation Summary
1. Husband:
• Obtained ILR via 10-year long residence route
• Became British citizen in 2023

2. Wife:
• Married to husband for 20 years
• Lived in the UK for 10 years on various visas (work dependent, family)
• Obtained ILR via 10-year long residence route 6 months ago(2025)
• No gaps in lawful residence (absences <40 days/year)

3. Child:
• Born abroad
• Lived in UK with parents
• Obtained ILR via same 10-year long residence

Query

Given the above situation:

1. Wife’s citizenship eligibility:
• Does she need to wait 12 months after obtaining ILR before applying for British citizenship, or can she apply immediately as the spouse of a British citizen?
• Does the fact that her relationship started before the husband became British affect her eligibility or impose any ILR waiting requirement?


2. Child’s citizenship eligibility:
• Can the child apply for registration as a British citizen immediately, or must the child wait until the mother becomes British first?
• Does the route via 10-year long residence ILR affect the timing for child registration?


3. Any combined family strategy:
• Would it be advisable to apply for the wife’s citizenship first and then the child, or can applications be coordinated?


4. Fees and practical considerations:
• Confirmation that applying now for the wife and later for the child avoids duplicate fees as the child may qualify for direct registration/enrolment after both parents secured citizenship.
• Any known Home Office discretion issues for children born abroad with ILR via long residence where one parent is British and the other is ILR

@contorted_svy's advice is correct.

Rud wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 08, 2026 6:08 am

I am currently hearing that there is a 12-month waiting period after obtaining Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) before applying for British citizenship, although there appears to be conflicting information regarding whether this applies to spouses of British citizens.

The 12 month waiting period does not apply to spouses of British citizens.

Rud wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 08, 2026 6:08 am

I understand from some sources that if citizenship applications are submitted in a particular order, I may need to pay an additional fee for my child’s application, which may not be required if my child is eligible for direct registration.

Again, not true. The order of applications is immaterial if the child and the other parent both have ILR.

Rud wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 08, 2026 6:21 am

• Does the route via 10-year long residence ILR affect the timing for child registration?

No, it does not.

Rud wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 08, 2026 6:21 am

• Confirmation that applying now for the wife and later for the child avoids duplicate fees as the child may qualify for direct registration/enrolment after both parents secured citizenship.

Not sure what you mean by this statement. The child qualifies to apply for registration now. But whether now or after both parents have become British citizens, the child does not automatically become a British citizen. They have to apply for registration and pay the required fees.

The only time a person acquires British citizenship automatically and for free is if specific conditions are met on the date of their birth. The only way to acquire British citizenship on any day after the date of their birth is through registration or naturalisation and the requisite fees need to be paid.

You need to link to your sources. Either they are grossly wrong or you have misunderstood them.

Thank you for your response.

On my understanding, in this scenario the parent holding ILR should apply for British citizenship by naturalisation (Form AN),
and the child holding ILR should directly apply for registration as a British citizen (Form MN1) and (Form AN) does not apply if both parents secured citizenship ?

Could you please confirm if this understanding is correct?

Additionally, could you please reconfirm that there is no requirement to wait 12 months after obtaining ILR before applying for British citizenship for the wife of a British citizen, regardless of the when the husband was naturalised?

Rud wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 08, 2026 6:43 am

could you please reconfirm that there is no requirement to wait 12 months after obtaining ILR before applying for British citizenship for the wife of a British citizen, regardless of the when the husband was naturalised?

I can so reconfirm. Your wife could apply as the spouse of a British citizen today even if your citizenship ceremony was earlier today.

Rud wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 08, 2026 6:43 am

in this scenario the parent holding ILR should apply for British citizenship by naturalisation (Form AN),
and the child holding ILR should directly apply for registration as a British citizen (Form MN1) and (Form AN) does not apply if both parents secured citizenship ?

Children do not naturalise, they register as British citizens. Naturalisation is for adults only. Your child is eligible to apply for registration now, as both the child and the other parent have ILR.

When filling in your wife's Form AN application, the form will ask if you want to add any other applicants to the form. You can choose to add your child to that application and the form will automatically adapt to Form MN1.

Thank you, Simon, for addressing all my queries. In that case, I would proceed with applying for my child using Form MN1 rather than applying alongside my wife on Form AN, as my child’s other country passport is nearing expiration. I plan to prioritize obtaining British citizenship and a passport for my child first. Meanwhile, my wife can remain on ILR status.

I have one additional query: regarding Form MN1, is there an application fee? Also, do I need to provide character references from two UK citizens, as I did for my own application previously?

MN1 fee = £1241 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... fees-table)
Official Guidance for MN1 including document requirements: https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... le-version
Referee forms are required for children.

Thank you for providing the details.

If I am planning to submit UK citizenship applications for both a parent and a child at the same time and would like some clarification:
1. Can the same two referees provide endorsements for both the parent and the child, or are four separate referees required (two for the parent and two for the child)?
2. For the child, is it sufficient to have one professional referee who has dealt with the child, or are two referees required in total?

Rud wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 08, 2026 8:21 am

Thank you for providing the details.

If I am planning to submit UK citizenship applications for both a parent and a child at the same time and would like some clarification:
1. Can the same two referees provide endorsements for both the parent and the child, or are four separate referees required (two for the parent and two for the child)?
For children the professional referee should be involved with the child, teacher, health worker or similiar. However,many in those professions are reluctant to divulge their personal data. UKVI are aware of this issue and if necessary use the adult's referee, but attach a note explaining the issue. The second adult referee can be used for children.
2. For the child, is it sufficient to have one professional referee who has dealt with the child, or are two referees required in total?
Two referees in total for child, a professional referee and one other. The adult's referee would be ok as second referee.

Note we are stating the requirements as published.

Rud wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 08, 2026 6:08 am

I have outlined my situation and queries above and would kindly request that you review them carefully.

I understand that some of these questions may have been asked previously; however, they are very important to my circumstances. I am currently hearing that there is a 12-month waiting period after obtaining Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) before applying for British citizenship, although there appears to be conflicting information regarding whether this applies to spouses of British citizens.
In addition, I understand from some sources that if citizenship applications are submitted in a particular order, I may need to pay an additional fee for my child’s application, which may not be required if my child is eligible for direct registration. I have read differing information on this point, and I am unsure whether my understanding is correct.

I would therefore be grateful if you could review my situation and clearly answer my queries, as the information I have received so far has not helped me fully understand the correct position. Your guidance on the appropriate steps in my case would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response.

I am not sure where you obtained the information you are referring to, therefore it is difficult to disprove it. My advice (as for other people posting in this thread, who confirmed my position) comes from having read the guidance multiple times. Where exactly did you obtain the information you are referring to? A number of people use AI these days to get advice on immigration/nationality, which is strongly discouraged.