Naturalisation times after 28th July

I submitted my naturalisation application on 20th August and received acknowledgement in September. I was told that the home office is very quick these days and takes 2-3 months maximum to approve routine applications (such as mine after 5 years work permit employment with the same employer). In fact, one of my friends who applied a few weeks before me (but before the language requirement rule) got his passport in 2 months.
Would appreciate if anybody knows what the post language requirement processing times are. Also, I had got a certificate from a university lecturer that I can speak English as a native speaker at that time, now it seems that a notary public or solicitor has to certify that. Would I have to produce a new certificate or the one I gave originally would be sufficient (since a lecturer was a designated person at that time)?
Thanks in advance.

Hi, my wife's application was posted on 15th April this year .... and on 19th June she actually received her British passport, having attended a Citizenship ceremony on 9th June. But we know of others who have waited six months or more .. with no apparent reason why the length of time should be so different.

The new language test requirement? Not sure why that would make any difference to the total processing time .... assuming the correct documentation has been supplied.

Which begs the question .... did you supply the correct proof? From the IND website a person's background will determine who should sign the form. If you are from an English-speaking country ... Australia, New Zealand etc ... then it should be a Solicitor or Notary who signs the form.

However if English is not your mother tongue then it should be a graduate schoolteacher or university lecturer etc who should sign ..... or a qualified language tutor ... who should certify that you are at least at Entry 3 Level.

Or of course someone could supply an Entry 3 Level certificate or better ... or one of its equivalents such as IELTS 4.0 or better ... or Cambridge KET or better. And if such a certificate supplied then no other evidence is needed, in order to satisfy the language test requirement.

So lana, where are you from, and is English your mother tongue?

Hi John,
Thanks for the reply.
I am from Argentina and no, English is not my mother tounge.
I had applied without the language certificate in the last week of July, Home office returned the application asking me to reapply with proof that I can speak English. I got a certificate from a university lecturer as per the notification published in mid August and got an acknowledgement saying that my application will be considered after they get character references. However, as per a later amendment, I could have sent them my US university degree instead of the certificate.
I was wondering whether the backlog and confusion due to language requirement has made processing times longer- and the requirement keep changing! Three of my friends who applied before July have got their passports in less than three months- the shortest being 3 weeks!
Lana

Lana, I think the right sort of person certified your language ability, given that English was not your mother tongue.

Three weeks to get British passport? I have to say ... impossible! Three weeks to get confirmation from IND in Liverpool that the application has been successful ... that is possible .... but then a need to attend a Citizenship Ceremony and get presented with your Naturalisation Certificate ... and then armed with that Naturalisation Certificate you can apply for a British passport.

After applying in April this year my wife heard exactly five weeks later she had been successful. then a couple of weeks before the Citizenship Ceremony ..... then 10 days for the British passport to arrive.

But as regards "I was wondering whether the backlog and confusion due to language requirement has made processing times longer", if it has extended the time it will just be a minute or two. As you pointed out they clearly quickly checked late July that the new requirement had not been compiled with and promptly returned the application.

I think the processing time varies and for no apparent reason. Hopefully you will hear soon, but of course three months since you applied is still a lot shorter than the average indicated on the IND website.

John,
Three weeks to communicate that the application was successful is what I meant.
Hopefully, home office will decide on the application soon. I am due to be interviewed for a job with the EU, for which I need to be an EU citizen.
Lana

Lana, it is of course not the case that a British Citizen needs to hold a passport to confirm they are British. So in your case, as soon as you have sworn the oath or affirmed, and then been handed your Naturalisation Certificate, you will be British, and therefore also an EU Citizen.

In fact, from that point in time, it does not take long to actually get a British passport ... but you would be well advised to submit the application over the counter at a Post Office, and pay the Post Office checking fee, rather than posting the application direct to the Passport Agency. The Passport Agency deal much more quickly with applications submitted via their "High Street partners".

John,
Thanks a lot.
The EU bureaucracy moves slowly, so I should be OK so long as I get naturalised by February(in 7 months).
Lana