Immigrationboards.com

Hi team
Will be greatful if you could clarify for me the following with regards to eligibility for naturalisation application
:- Achieved ILR status this September 2024 through skilled worker route of 5 years and is also at the same time married to a British Citizen since July 2024 . In this case then can a person apply for naturalisation immediately or should he wait for 12 months as the ILR was obtained by skilled worker route or because he was married to British citizen only since July 2024 ?

Apply immediately.
Your route to ILR has nothing to do with this. The requirement is to have ILR!
As long as you were married to BC on the day you gained ILR apply immediately. It doesn’t matter how long or when you got married.
Don’t know who told you this - it’s concerning as this has been asked before. There is too much incorrect information floating around.

Thanks a lot for your reply. Will be applying now. If you dont mind me asking one more thing. Apologies if this has been previously asked.
Had submitted IELTS as part of the first tier 2 visa application in 2019 from outside UK . After that for the ILR application under skilled worker route, didn't have to submit the IELTS certificate . But now, can this previously expired IELTS certificate be still used for the naturalisation application?

Simpl23 wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 04, 2024 5:39 pm

Thanks a lot for your reply. Will be applying now. If you dont mind me asking one more thing. Apologies if this has been previously asked.
Had submitted IELTS as part of the first tier 2 visa application in 2019 from outside UK . After that for the ILR application under skilled worker route, didn't have to submit the IELTS certificate . But now, can this previously expired IELTS certificate be still used for the naturalisation application?

Did you refer to it when getting ILR?
https://www.gov.uk/english-language/app ... ifications

You can use a B1, B2, C1 or C2 level qualification that’s run out if both of the following are true:

you’re applying for citizenship
it was accepted when you settled in the UK.

This point is currently unclear - some people read this rule as "if you have used the exam for any visa application who led to ILR" and some have a harder stance of "if you used it for ILR only".

The safest option would be to quote that exam if it was used for ILR - it would be good to find an official source that clarifies this though.

Thanks a lot for your reply. You put it down perfectly which was exactly my confusion. Have used it for visa application which led to ILR but as far as I remember while applying for ILR skilled worker route, there was no question about English language ( obviously because they know it was used before for skilled worker, snd hence no question about it in ILR application) and so didn't have to submit IELTS certificate for ILR.
Now the exact wordings of the question in naturalisation application is as follows
" Did you meet the knowledge of English requirement made as part of an ILR application on or after Oct 2013"
I am confused whether i can answer this yes? If I can answer this yes then I should be able to use the expired IELTS right

For how the question is worded, you should answer No I think.

Simpl23 wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 04, 2024 6:08 pm

Thanks a lot for your reply. You put it down perfectly which was exactly my confusion. Have used it for visa application which led to ILR but as far as I remember while applying for ILR skilled worker route, there was no question about English language ( obviously because they know it was used before for skilled worker, snd hence no question about it in ILR application) and so didn't have to submit IELTS certificate for ILR.
Now the exact wordings of the question in naturalisation application is as follows
" Did you meet the knowledge of English requirement made as part of an ILR application on or after Oct 2013"
I am confused whether i can answer this yes? If I can answer this yes then I should be able to use the expired IELTS right

A friend in the same shoes said yes to this one and got their citizenship processed in less than 2 months no questions asked.
The naturalisation guide is clear enough in my opinion:

"If you successfully made an application for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) on the basis of a B1 level qualification you would meet the English language requirement for naturalisation and do not have to pass another test. This includes where you satisfied the requirement for ILR because you had already met the B1 level qualification for entry clearance or leave to remain."

So yes, you did meet the requirements at the time of ILR. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been granted. The question does not ask whether you've presented evidence. It just asks whether you met requirements which you obviously did given it was granted.

Based on the para of the guidance that CosmosS quotes, OP should be fine in submitting IELTS certificate, explaining in a cover letter it has been used for the relevant application.