Naturalisation application advice please.

I have a few questions regarding applying for naturalisation. I will be eligible to apply at the end of January as a non-EEA unmarried partner of a British citizen. The thing is we're leaving for about a month sometime in April to get married abroad and won't be back till around the beginning of May.

So what I want to know is what's the best way to go so I could ensure that I have my passport back by April? I know you can apply and then request to go pick up your passport in person at Croyden. I'm also not sure about what the NCS does with your documents and passport. Do they just photocopy and certify your passport and give it back right there or do they send it off with your application? Or am I better off sending in all my originals and fetching my passport later?

I could apply after I get back but I'd rather not wait, I'm so fed up with the HO after 5 years of being jerked around and I feel like the sooner I can get my application in the better.

Emma,
No problems, just use the NCS they check all your doc's and photocopy them and certify them too, including your passports.
This is a wonder system and it's means you don't have to worry about your passport going walk abouts in the post or HO.

Thanks Siggi, that's a load off my mind. I think I'd rather pay the extra fee to have that done, just to be on the safe side.

Emma84 wrote:Thanks Siggi, that's a load off my mind. I think I'd rather pay the extra fee to have that done, just to be on the safe side.

and it dosent cost alot as well .about 40 £
its worth it
good luck in both marriage and citizenship

I just spotted someone else's thread about applying via the NCS and they mentioned that the NCS will want the Life in the UK Test Cert.

When I applied for ILR, the Home Office kept my certificate (though I had the foresight to make a copy of it before I gave them the original). Is that going to be a problem?

Is it not six years for naturalisation via EEA rules? ie 5 years on EEA Family Permit for RP (equiv ILR), wait another year for naturalisation?

Don't worry, I'm most likely wrong....

No it's five years in my case. The official at the PEO told me when I got my ILR that I would be eligible to apply for citizenship next year, meaning Jan 2009.

Emma84 wrote:No it's five years in my case. The official at the PEO told me when I got my ILR that I would be eligible to apply for citizenship next year, meaning Jan 2009.

Sorry, I saw 'non-EEA' in ur first post above and read 'EEA Family Permit' I've no idea why!

D'oh!

Emma84 wrote:I just spotted someone else's thread about applying via the NCS and they mentioned that the NCS will want the Life in the UK Test Cert.

When I applied for ILR, the Home Office kept my certificate (though I had the foresight to make a copy of it before I gave them the original). Is that going to be a problem?

Normally they return the certificate
but if you had looked a the application
it does provide for the case if you had submitted it with ILR

Just looking through a few things on the UKBA site about naturalisation and I ran across something that said they may ask you to attend an interview.

My question is, how likely is that? My case is fairly straightforward and I am inclined to think that they only would ask in complex cases but I don't want to assume too much.

If they do, is there a certain time you have to respond to them? I only ask because I worry that they'll send a letter asking about it while I'm out of the country.

It used to be that you couldn't travel for a week after submitting, in case they wanted some clarifications from you. Do you have a link to where you saw the bit about interviews?

Here's the link where they mention interviews.

http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/britis ... plication/

This page also mentions that if they want further information they will only give you three weeks to respond. In my wife's case they wrote to her asking her for further information about 5 weeks after she initially applied.

Thanks djb. I'm not too worried about them asking for further information, it's just the possiblility that they'll ask me to an interview and I'll be out of the country at that time. I'm making my application at the end of January and leaving for the US for about a month in mid-April.

Emma84 wrote:Thanks djb. I'm not too worried about them asking for further information, it's just the possiblility that they'll ask me to an interview and I'll be out of the country at that time. I'm making my application at the end of January and leaving for the US for about a month in mid-April.

Hi Emma,

Are you keeping an eye on the naturalisation timeline thread? (It's a sticky at the top of the General UK immigration forum). Many of us who applied in May/June are now getting approved (about 3-4 months) but user thesaint got theirs in only 7 weeks! If the processing times keep getting shorter, you could potentially get your approval and become British before your April trip. (How great would that be?!)

But one thing to bear in mind is that once you're naturalised, technically your ILR is invalid and you're meant to travel either on a British passport or Right of Abode stamp. The HO gives you a little grace period from the day of naturalisation because they know it takes around 6 weeks to get your British passport, but you don't want to take it too far. I travelled to the Czech Republic and back the week after I got my BC and the IO didn't say anything, but every case is different. Obviously, they can't keep you out if you're British, but they can still make things difficult if they want to. Just something to mull over.

Of course, even if you get approved before your US trip, you can schedule your citizenship ceremony after your return (as long as it's within the 90 days.) Looks like you have a bunch of options.

Emma84 wrote:Thanks djb. I'm not too worried about them asking for further information, it's just the possiblility that they'll ask me to an interview and I'll be out of the country at that time. I'm making my application at the end of January and leaving for the US for about a month in mid-April.

I've not ever seen anyone post on any forum about having an interview so I guess it would be unusual to have one.

I think this link is the guidance on circumstances when you would be interviewed.

http://ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/siteconte ... iew=Binary

If your case is straightforward and you are of good character then you shouldn't be interviewed