Home Office Approval Letter Lost
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 4:55 pm
I am looking for some help.
After 20+ years of UK residence, with indefinite leave to remain granted in 1998, eventually applied for the British Citizenship end of November 2018. All correspondence received up to and including acknowledgement, biometrics Test and even return of documents upon earlier request. After completing then Biometrics test in Jan 2019 I have not heard anything further. I have tried calling the Home Office but having been told that I should not chase the progress in the first 6 months from acknowledgement letter, I waited patiently for whole 6 months and sent a chase e-mail on the 23rd of January 2 days after the 6 months deadline passed and followed instruction with the form.
Two days later I received a letter from the Home Office saying that I have failed to attend a Citizenship ceremony and I must explain myself by the 5th of July.
I have sent further e-mail to further nationality enquiries, called the general enquiries and been given the citizenship.support e-mail address, to which I duly wrote to explain that I have never received any letter of approval nor the invitation to the Ceremony. My question is : should the Council have contacted me too? They never did. Given the deadline of 5th of July upon which they said they WILL refuse my application, what else can I do? I should have mentioned that I sent also a letter to the Home Office by Special delivery explaining that the letter was never received.
What is the timescale for reply? I contacted my Council but they said they need to have a new letter of invitation. Apparently My Certificate has been returned to their office. I have a valid re-direction service and I wonder if the letter is sent by anything other that Standard Royal Mail or whether the envelope has do not re-direct on it? May this be the reason why it has been lost?
Also I have not received any acknowledgement of the e-mail sent to citizenship.support e-mail. I have received an acknowledgement when I e-mailed furthernationalityenquirires. Should I have received something back to confirm they got my e-mail?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
After 20+ years of UK residence, with indefinite leave to remain granted in 1998, eventually applied for the British Citizenship end of November 2018. All correspondence received up to and including acknowledgement, biometrics Test and even return of documents upon earlier request. After completing then Biometrics test in Jan 2019 I have not heard anything further. I have tried calling the Home Office but having been told that I should not chase the progress in the first 6 months from acknowledgement letter, I waited patiently for whole 6 months and sent a chase e-mail on the 23rd of January 2 days after the 6 months deadline passed and followed instruction with the form.
Two days later I received a letter from the Home Office saying that I have failed to attend a Citizenship ceremony and I must explain myself by the 5th of July.
I have sent further e-mail to further nationality enquiries, called the general enquiries and been given the citizenship.support e-mail address, to which I duly wrote to explain that I have never received any letter of approval nor the invitation to the Ceremony. My question is : should the Council have contacted me too? They never did. Given the deadline of 5th of July upon which they said they WILL refuse my application, what else can I do? I should have mentioned that I sent also a letter to the Home Office by Special delivery explaining that the letter was never received.
What is the timescale for reply? I contacted my Council but they said they need to have a new letter of invitation. Apparently My Certificate has been returned to their office. I have a valid re-direction service and I wonder if the letter is sent by anything other that Standard Royal Mail or whether the envelope has do not re-direct on it? May this be the reason why it has been lost?
Also I have not received any acknowledgement of the e-mail sent to citizenship.support e-mail. I have received an acknowledgement when I e-mailed furthernationalityenquirires. Should I have received something back to confirm they got my e-mail?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.