Is this enough evidence for UK Citizenship Application?

[shadowfax]

Hi,

I'm going over the checklist of documents I need to show and one of them says "Proof of living in the UK for Mr <<xxx>> for 5 years if applying in your own right or 3 years if applying as the spouse of a British Citizen"

My question is why do they need me to give this to them? When I applied for settled status (wife is EEA) I didn't have to supply anything, they simply looked up the DWP records and whatever else they have available that showed that I had been in the UK for 5 year to get settles status. If this is the case, why can't they do the same for naturalisation? Why all of a sudden do I need to show them records that I know they already have and can access? Thanks.

[shadowfax]

Oops. Can a admin be so kind and delete my name that I accidentally put in the post? Thanks.

[secret.simon]

Oops. Can a admin be so kind and delete my name that I accidentally put in the post? Thanks.

Done. Be careful next time.

[shadowfax]

Oops. Can a admin be so kind and delete my name that I accidentally put in the post? Thanks.

Done. Be careful next time.

Thank you!

[shadowfax]

When the Home Office asks for evidence of five years proof if lawful status in the UK, is that asking for the 5 years from entering the UK until granted PR/ILR/SS or five years back from the date of citizenship application?

This is important for me to know, as it will change what sort of documentation I need to gather.

[CR001]

When the Home Office asks for evidence of five years proof if lawful status in the UK, is that asking for the 5 years from entering the UK until granted PR/ILR/SS or five years back from the date of citizenship application?

This is important for me to know, as it will change what sort of documentation I need to gather.

It is the 5 years immediately preceding the date of application for citizenship.

[secret.simon]

Be sure to also include proof that you were physically present in the UK at the start of the five year period (i.e. exactly five years before the date of application). That is the one part of the application that the Home Office has no discretion over and the application must be refused if the person was absent from the UK at that time.

[star31]

When the Home Office asks for evidence of five years proof if lawful status in the UK, is that asking for the 5 years from entering the UK until granted PR/ILR/SS or five years back from the date of citizenship application?

This is important for me to know, as it will change what sort of documentation I need to gather.

From my understanding if you have lived in UK for more than 5 years, HO will go back to your record and check more than 5 years for the purpose of good character requirements.

[alterhase58]

The OP didn't query the Good Character requirement - this is about documenting the 5 year residency period.

[shadowfax]

Just uploaded the following documents to UKVCAS to help evidence the last 5 years in the UK for my citizenship application:

1 Passport
2 ILR/Settled Status BRC
3 Expired EU Residence card (I'm the family member of an EEA National)
4 Referee Form 1
5 Referee Form 2
6 Latest Council Tax Bill
7 Council Tax bill from 5 years ago
8 Letter from former Employer confirming my dates of employment (Early 2015- to Late 2020)
9 P45 from employer above
10 Acceptance Letter from University for Master's Course that began in Jan this year
11 University ID Card
12 Original Mortgage offer from 2017, Refinance mortgage letter from 2019 and latest mortgage refinance (August 2021)

Will this suffice? One of my referees is a retired Vicar and the other is my former manager.

Thanks all!

[shadowfax]

Be sure to also include proof that you were physically present in the UK at the start of the five year period (i.e. exactly five years before the date of application). That is the one part of the application that the Home Office has no discretion over and the application must be refused if the person was absent from the UK at that time.

How do I prove I was in the UK on 29 July 2016? That seems strange. No where in the application or guidance notes does it say I need to show proof of being physically present in the UK on that specific day? Or does it and I missed it?

Thanks.

[shadowfax]

Bump! My newest post got merged with an older post. Bummer. Hopefully someone will comment on my newest question. Thanks.

[luthersnowak]

Bump! My newest post got merged with an older post. Bummer. Hopefully someone will comment on my newest question. Thanks.

Anyone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe you have to provide evidence that you were in the country on that day. The requirement to have been present in the UK on the date 5 years prior your application being submitted is a condition that needs to be met. I think when they review your application, they will verify that your immigration records support you being in the country on that date. It's not that you have to provide proof, only that you submit your application on a date that is consistent with you being present in the country 5 years prior.

Again, I could be completely wrong, so please verify that through a more reliable source.

[shadowfax]

Bump! My newest post got merged with an older post. Bummer. Hopefully someone will comment on my newest question. Thanks.

Anyone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe you have to provide evidence that you were in the country on that day. The requirement to have been present in the UK on the date 5 years prior your application being submitted is a condition that needs to be met. I think when they review your application, they will verify that your immigration records support you being in the country on that date. It's not that you have to provide proof, only that you submit your application on a date that is consistent with you being present in the country 5 years prior.

Again, I could be completely wrong, so please verify that through a more reliable source.

That's sorta along the lines I was thinking and is much more logical! Thanks.

Any thoughts about the list of evidence I submitted? Do you think it will be enough?

[luthersnowak]

Unfortunately, I don't know for sure about proof of residency, as I didn't go through the Naturalisation process. That being said, I think Tax documents and and Pay slips are some of the more important pieces of evidence. I have read on here some people take each piece of evidence and write down what dates that evidence proves you were in the UK. Make sure your evidence covers the entire 5 years. Don't make too many assumptions about what your documents prove. I don't think it hurts anything to send too much documentation, as long as it's necessary to prove your case. You have to approach it with the assumption that Home Office will only give you credit for what you can definitively prove.

I don't mean to sound overly negative. I have read horror stories on hear about individuals that lost a lot of money because they provided insufficient evidence.

The below link provides a list of examples of acceptable documents.

"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-settlem ... residence"


I wish the best of luck in your journey to citizenship.