Immigrationboards.com

Hi - thanks for your time.

When I was thirteen, there was some family drama that culminated in my mother and I becoming homeless. My mother emigrated from where we lived with me in tow, and claimed asylum in the UK, which was eventually granted. At the time, I was a citizen of another country, but we didn't disclose this during the asylum process - we outlined that we were citizens of the country we originally hail from. I've lived in the United Kingdom for the last 12 years, and I recently gained British citizenship.

I recently received an opportunity to do a 6-month work secondment in the other country I'm a citizen of, and it's against the law to travel to that country with a passport that isn't issued by that country if you're a citizen. I would like to renew my original passport in order to make the trip (which is now long-expired), but I'm worried that this may impact my current status as a British national. Britain is my home and I don't intend to live in that other country, the events that inspired this post took place when I was a child, and I have no criminal record and have worked hard to integrate and make something of myself as an adult (education, good job, etc.). Could I get in trouble with the Home Office if they were to find out I'm now also holding another passport (i.e. lose my British citizenship)?

TLDR: I committed immigration fraud as a minor when I moved to the UK as an asylum seeker with my mother. I've since become a citizen, and I'm worried that this may have an impact on my future as a British citizen. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

If you repeated the fraud in your applications as an adult, then I suspect it may affect you. It will probably affect your mother.

Hiya. Thank you for sharing the article. I've bookmarked for reading after work.

I wouldn't be repeating anything of the sort as an adult. The only thing I'd be doing is renewing my passport issued by the other country, which will not involve my British citizenship at all, and from what I can tell, would involve no deception on my part.

My worry is that the damage will have already been done with my asylum application.

Were you registered as a British citizen or were you naturalised?

If naturalised, did you declare all your nationalities?

Apologies - I'm not sure what the difference is. I received limited leave to remain for 5 years after my successful asylum application, and then subsequently received indefinite leave to remain. I then made a successful application for British citizenship.

Registration is when your application to become British is done when you're as a child (by your parents), via MN1.
Naturalization occurs when you're 18 or older, you fill out the forms yourself, via AN1.

Right - thanks. It'd be naturalisation then. I filled out the forms for myself and my mum as an adult.

It was one application for both of us - my mum's section required her to specify her nationality, but my section didn't.

How old were you when you made these applications?

I was 21.