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British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2020 8:33 pm
by David1025
I am currently on ILR and will be applying for British Citizenship in November. I am a bit worried about the good character requirement, as I lost my last job due to twitter posts claiming I had inappropriate behaviour towards females and was a bully at work. While these claims are false, I am afraid they will affect my application. Does anyone have any guidance on this?
Re: British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 7:44 am
by alterhase58
Were you reported to the police, taken to court and convicted of an offence?
Re: British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:01 am
by David1025
alterhase58 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 7:44 am
Were you reported to the police, taken to court and convicted of an offence?
No, this was handled entirely within my employment. However I am a bit worried as I have read that having notoriety "in the local or wider community by the scale and persistence of my behaviour." Any advise on the notoriety provision?
Re: British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 9:53 am
by alterhase58
Perhaps if you can explain why you may fall under "notoriety" - based on what you wrote in your first post?
Others may be able to add further comment - not something that has been queried before, to my knowledge.
Re: British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 11:31 am
by Zerubbabel
David1025 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:01 am
alterhase58 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 7:44 am
Were you reported to the police, taken to court and convicted of an offence?
No, this was handled entirely within my employment. However I am a bit worried as I have read that having notoriety "in the local or wider community by the scale and persistence of my behaviour." Any advise on the notoriety provision?
You are overthinking. You had an issue with your employer regarding allegations and you were subsequently fired. As long as you didn't end up in court and found guilty, there is nothing to worry about. Anything between yourself and your employer, is a private matter.
Re: British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 1:46 pm
by David1025
Thank you for the advice. To be clear my concern is with the Notoriety part of the application. If my name is searched on google these twitter allegations come up on the first page of search results. I am concerned that my "activities have been notorious and cast serious doubt on my standing in the local community".
Do immigration officers take these allegations into account? Will they conduct a social media search of me?
Re: British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:06 pm
by alterhase58
We don't know which sources UKVI nationality case workers (not immigration officers!) use, except that it's a good guess they have access to many sources of information, such a government data, criminal records, credit reference data, and probably much more.
However, unless you are well known for your notoriety they cannot reject your application on just what they find on Google. Looking at the following sentence from the guidance should give you comfort on this point - note they use the terms "scale" and "persistence":
"However, where there is evidence that a person has, by the scale and persistence of
their behaviour, made themselves notorious in their local or the wider community,
you must consider refusing the application".
As @Zerubbabel says you are overthinking.
Re: British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:25 pm
by David1025
alterhase58 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:06 pm
We don't know which sources UKVI nationality case workers (not immigration officers!) use, except that it's a good guess they have access to many sources of information, such a government data, criminal records, credit reference data, and probably much more.
However, unless you are well known for your notoriety they cannot reject your application on just what they find on Google. Looking at the following sentence from the guidance should give you comfort on this point - note they use the terms "scale" and "persistence":
"However, where there is evidence that a person has, by the scale and persistence of
their behaviour, made themselves notorious in their local or the wider community,
you must consider refusing the application".
As @Zerubbabel says you are overthinking.
Thank you @alterhase58 that does clarify things a bit, however I am still bit concerned as the social media post has other former co-workers also posting, claiming the same behaviour going back several years - it is distressing as I did not even work with some of these people. It is scary how people are adding to the "fire".
Would it be a good idea to disclose this situation with the application so that I am frank about the situation? I also can provide references from former co-workers to counter act these claims.
Re: British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:31 pm
by CR001
You are completely overthinking!!
Re: British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 7:03 pm
by Zerubbabel
Would it be a good idea to disclose this situation with the application so that I am frank about the situation? I also can provide references from former co-workers to counter act these claims.
These things that happen on social media have no bearing on your citizenship application. Don't disclose anything. You are not going to tell the caseworker that you have bad reputation on Twitter and Facebook! You will be just sabotaging your own application by going into something that is not even relevant.
Notoriously bad character is much more than a person involved in a brawl in social media. We are talking about people involved in large scale scandals to the extent that they become a household common knowledge. It's high profile scandals that usually involve press and television.
I don't think they will google you. They have better and more relevant databases. They can check criminal records, tax records, immigration records... not twitter!
You are overthinking big time.
Re: British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:46 pm
by London22
David1025 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:25 pm
alterhase58 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:06 pm
We don't know which sources UKVI nationality case workers (not immigration officers!) use, except that it's a good guess they have access to many sources of information, such a government data, criminal records, credit reference data, and probably much more.
However, unless you are well known for your notoriety they cannot reject your application on just what they find on Google. Looking at the following sentence from the guidance should give you comfort on this point - note they use the terms "scale" and "persistence":
"However, where there is evidence that a person has, by the scale and persistence of
their behaviour, made themselves notorious in their local or the wider community,
you must consider refusing the application".
As @Zerubbabel says you are overthinking.
Thank you @alterhase58 that does clarify things a bit, however I am still bit concerned as the social media post has other former co-workers also posting, claiming the same behaviour going back several years - it is distressing as I did not even work with some of these people. It is scary how people are adding to the "fire".
Would it be a good idea to disclose this situation with the application so that I am frank about the situation? I also can provide references from former co-workers to counter act these claims.
If you tell the caseworker something like this they may likely take notice & weirdly can refuse you.It seems you have done something bad with work colleagues hence you are a bit concerned but better must not bring this dispute in an application.Home office doesn't follow its own guidance regularly .People with criminal record get citizenship in some cases & we have seen some cases where previous overstayers got naturalization.Your matter is irrelevant to the application .
Goodluck
Re: British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 10:30 pm
by David1025
Thanks everyone! You have provided me invaluable advise and I will take it to heart. I will stop obsessing about the social media aspect.
Re: British Citizenship - Good Character requirement
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 11:39 pm
by CULLINAN
David1025 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 10:30 pm
Thanks everyone! You have provided me invaluable advise and I will take it to heart. I will stop obsessing about the social media aspect.
If social media worries you, its best to deactivate your account for the time being. But as previously mentioned above, your only overthinking.
Will Work History Affect the British Citizenship Application?
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:12 pm
by David1025
I was fired from my last job for gross negligence. Will this affect my citizenship application?
Re: Will Work History Affect the British Citizenship Application?
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:13 pm
by CULLINAN
Re: Will Work History Affect the British Citizenship Application?
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:49 pm
by David1025
....I am over thinking it again?
Re: Will Work History Affect the British Citizenship Application?
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:52 pm
by CULLINAN
These are your private matters. Getting fired from a job does not constitute a conviction.
Re: Will Work History Affect the British Citizenship Application?
Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2020 6:50 am
by CR001
Topics merged!!!