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Not meeting good character req. due to Penalty Charge??

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 12:42 pm
by nihMoham
I've applied for Naturalisation, sent in the form in September using the local council's Nationality Checking Service ("NCS"). In the form, on the advice of the NCS lady, I mentioned a Penalty Charge Notice for a traffic violation that had occured in May 2015.

In November, the caseworker wrote to me asking for my counterpart drivers license as additional evidence. I duly sent them the same. Now I have received a request for the original court and penalty charge documents with regard to this violation. Given that this happened in May 2015, and that I have moved house a couple of times since then, I do not have the original PCN document. And I paid the fine immediately, so there are no court documents at all. What should I tell the caseworker? Is this grounds for denying my application on the basis of failing to meet the good character requirement?

Re: Not meeting good character req. due to Penalty Charge??

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 12:46 pm
by noajthan
nihMoham wrote:I've applied for Naturalisation, sent in the form in September using the local council's Nationality Checking Service ("NCS"). In the form, on the advice of the NCS lady, I mentioned a Penalty Charge Notice for a traffic violation that had occured in May 2015.

In November, the caseworker wrote to me asking for my counterpart drivers license as additional evidence. I duly sent them the same. Now I have received a request for the original court and penalty charge documents with regard to this violation. Given that this happened in May 2015, and that I have moved house a couple of times since then, I do not have the original PCN document. And I paid the fine immediately, so there are no court documents at all. What should I tell the caseworker? Is this grounds for denying my application on the basis of failing to meet the good character requirement?
Tell caseworker what you have told us here. And explain it was a one-off and hasn't happened again, assuming it was a one-off.

You can get into the head of caseworker assessing and weighing up your case in HO guidance here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... _D_v02.pdf

Re: Not meeting good character req. due to Penalty Charge??

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 12:52 pm
by nihMoham
Thanks for the quick reply. I guess I have to do that.

The other consideration is that I was in a rented car at the time of the violation. I do have an email from the rental company informing me of the violation, and a copy of the PCN that was sent to them (which they then redirected to me). Is there any value in sending this email and this scanned copy of the rental company's PCN to the caseworker?

Re: Not meeting good character req. due to Penalty Charge??

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 1:05 pm
by noajthan
nihMoham wrote:Thanks for the quick reply. I guess I have to do that.

The other consideration is that I was in a rented car at the time of the violation. I do have an email from the rental company informing me of the violation, and a copy of the PCN that was sent to them (which they then redirected to me). Is there any value in sending this email and this scanned copy of the rental company's PCN to the caseworker?
Yes, caseworkers want to see a papertrail so that seems one way to get it if you no longer have your copies of relevant paperwork.

Add a cogent cover letter to explain everything.
Keep copies of everything you send to HO!

Re: Not meeting good character req. due to Penalty Charge??

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 1:12 pm
by nihMoham
noajthan wrote:
nihMoham wrote:Thanks for the quick reply. I guess I have to do that.

The other consideration is that I was in a rented car at the time of the violation. I do have an email from the rental company informing me of the violation, and a copy of the PCN that was sent to them (which they then redirected to me). Is there any value in sending this email and this scanned copy of the rental company's PCN to the caseworker?
Yes, caseworkers want to see a papertrail so that seems one way to get it if you no longer have your copies of relevant paperwork.

Add a cogent cover letter to explain everything.
Keep copies of everything you send to HO!
Ok, will do. Thanks so much for your help, fingers crossed

Re: Not meeting good character req. due to Penalty Charge??

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 11:55 pm
by tatetate
Hi
You said PCN.. Are you referring to normal parking ticket? Could you please elaborate nature of traffic offence?

What exactly did you write in form? that could possible have caused the issue.

Thanks