Backdated claim for citizenship by adoption

Hi all,
I have a big dilemma that I need advice with.

I entered the UK at the age of 12, following an adoption by my stepfather at the the time (who is a british citizen) in my home country. Sadly, he developed some psychiatric illness for a number of years, and was in and out of hospital, so that we could not process an application for me to legalise my stay in the country. At the time, he also seized the adoption certificate, declared that he did not want me to be his daughter, and him and my mother got divorced. Since then, I have been in hiding, and not really sure what to do regarding my stay. Recently however, we got in touch with him, and he has apologised and released the certificate, saying it was all due to his illness.
My problem now though is that, is it possible to still apply for citizenship as an adult (I am now 28 years).
Also, I have been told that I can claim under the 14-year rule, and I had even started piling documents together for this application. But I heard it can take up to 4 years to get this (making a wait of 20 yrs of not having left the country!), and I'm worried that I may not even get it.

I'm also concerned that I've been working and claiming that I was british on my job application forms, so that employers dont ask questions, and I'm worried that this will go against me in any application I make. Also, I'm scared of losing my current job!

I should mention that my all my siblings were born here and are british citizens, and although my mother has not claimed her citizenship as yet, she has settled status in the country (you can imagine how hard it has been missing out on the occasional family holiday as a result!)

Any views on this issue will be greatly appreciated.

Where were you born and on what visa did you first enter the UK?

Casa wrote:Where were you born and on what visa did you first enter the UK?

Thanks for taking time to read my post, Casa. I was born in Nigeria, and I entered on a visiting visa.

chocolate_angel wrote: Thanks for taking time to read my post, Casa. I was born in Nigeria, and I entered on a visiting visa.

In that case you have been unlawfully in the U.K. all along. Your only likely pathway is an application under the 14 year rule for ILR, and you should do this as soon as possible.

You will need to do the Life in the UK Test.

After you have ILR you will have a 5 year wait for British citizenship (3 years if married to a British citizen). Your time as an unlawful entrant will not count.