Irish National applying for British Citizenship by naturalisation

Hi everyone,

I am an Irish national living in the UK for 5 years and 8 months and planning to apply for British citizenship by naturalisation.

I understand that Irish nationals do not require permanent residence to apply for BC. Is this correct?

If so, am I eligible to apply after 5 years or do I have to wait for 6 years as is the case for EU nationals, who need to wait 1 year after PR/ILR before applying for BC?

Moreover, if I apply for settled status under the EU settlement scheme (I understand that I do not need this), does this hinder or aid my application for BC? The settlement scheme guide says that an EU national normally needs to wait for 1 year following their granting of settled status. Will this apply to me?

Finally, once I (hopefully) acquire BC, will my wife (non-EU national) be eligible for BC if she has resided in the UK for 3 years? Or do we have to have been married for 3 years?

All help will be greatly appreciated!

I understand that Irish nationals do not require permanent residence to apply for BC. Is this correct?

Correct. Irish citizens are considered 'settled' from the date they arrive in the UK.

If so, am I eligible to apply after 5 years or do I have to wait for 6 years as is the case for EU nationals, who need to wait 1 year after PR/ILR before applying for BC?

5 years residence.

Moreover, if I apply for settled status under the EU settlement scheme (I understand that I do not need this), does this hinder or aid my application for BC? The settlement scheme guide says that an EU national normally needs to wait for 1 year following their granting of settled status. Will this apply to me?

You don't need 'settled status' as an Irish Citizen applying for British Citizenship.

Finally, once I (hopefully) acquire BC, will my wife (non-EU national) be eligible for BC if she has resided in the UK for 3 years? Or do we have to have been married for 3 years?

Your wife needs ILR or PR before she can apply for British citizenship. ILR and PR (or settled status) takes 5 years.

Your other posts mentions that she has held a tier 2 general for the last 2.5 years or so. Remaining in this visa category will be her quickest route to getting ILR/PR.

She would only qualify for 'pre settled' status now that you are married, her previous years prior to marriage won't count. She will then have to wait a further 5 years to apply for settled status before she can then apply for Citizenship.

Thanks for the reply! I am not sure I understand the last bit of your response though. Once she changes to a pre-settled status, will her 2.5 years on tier 2 not count anymore towards her PR/ILR? i.e. its a new count for another 5 years?

jaigirds wrote: ↑

Thu May 16, 2019 8:15 am

Thanks for the reply! I am not sure I understand the last bit of your response though. Once she changes to a pre-settled status, will her 2.5 years on tier 2 not count anymore towards her PR/ILR? i.e. its a new count for another 5 years?

No it won't count for the EU settlement scheme as you were not married. Her residence under the EU rules starts from the date you got married and she needs 5 years from that date.

So, I have now started filling in the online application form for citizenship by naturalisation. I have a couple of questions that throw up difficulties as an Irish national:

1. Are you either:
An EEA national who has been issued with a
permanent residence document
A family member of an EEA national who has
been issued with a permanent residence card

2. Have you been granted indefinite leave to enter, or
remain, in the UK?

The answer to both these questions are no since an Irish national does not require either of these things. Will this be a problem with the case worker?

Another problem is the english language section. There is no option to apply as the national of an english speaking country. I have therefore elected to upload my UK degree document as proof of my english language proficiency. Is this ok?

Finally, with regards to the need for documents to prove my residency for 5 years. It is not stated what documents will be sufficient. I am therefore uploading letter from my University stating my course and length, P60 and payslips from employer (after my education) and also including annual bank statements covering the entire 5 years. Do I require anything further?

Thanks so much for all the help!

jaigirds wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:27 pm

Will this be a problem with the case worker?

It is in the Home Office guidance that Irish citizens do not need a PR document. The caseworker should be aware of that.

Guide AN wrote:Irish nationals
The position of Irish citizens is different to that of other EEA nationals. Irish citizens are not normally subject to any form of immigration control on arrival in the UK because Ireland is part of the Common Travel Area. If you are an Irish national, you will be free of immigration time restrictions for naturalisation purposes. You do not need to apply for a permanent residence document before you apply for naturalisation.
(Page 14)

Finally, with regards to the need for documents to prove my residency for 5 years. It is not stated what documents will be sufficient. I am therefore uploading letter from my University stating my course and length, P60 and payslips from employer (after my education) and also including annual bank statements covering the entire 5 years. Do I require anything further?

The letter from your University and then P60s and your final payslip will be enough. Bank statements are not accepted so I would not include them.

That is what I successfully applied with for citizenship so nothing else is needed unless you have a large gap between uni and employment in which case you can use council tax bills.