Immigrationboards.com

Hi everyone,

I’m seeking some advice or experiences from anyone familiar with applying for British citizenship under Section 4L (registration based on historical legislative injustices).

My situation involves a family of six, and we’re trying to figure out the most practical and secure way to handle our applications.

Here’s the plan we’re considering: rather than all six of us applying at once, we’d like to have one family member submit their application first.

The idea is to test the waters and see if the legal basis of our claim holds up before the rest of us (the remaining five) proceed with our applications.

Assuming the first application is successful, the others would follow. My main question is about the documentation process. We have a substantial amount of background evidence—mostly historical documents that tie into our claim under Section 4L. These are pretty old, almost antique, and we’re worried about submitting them.

Specifically:

• If we send all the supporting documents with the first family member’s application, would we need to submit the same full set of documents again later when the other five apply? Or could the Home Office somehow link the later applications to the first one and reuse the evidence already provided?

• For those who’ve dealt with mailing documents to the Home Office in Liverpool—did you send originals, especially for historical records like these? I’m really nervous about putting irreplaceable originals in the mail, especially if we might have to do it twice. Has anyone had issues with stuff getting lost or damaged in the post? Are there safer options, like submitting certified copies instead?

I’d love to hear how others have approached this, especially with family applications or fragile historical documents. Any tips on minimizing risk (and cost!) would be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Cheers,

The HO would request to see documentary evidence for each person - I would not think that if you tell them that you are from the same family they would be happy having already seen that evidence. The burden of proof is on you, not them. I would get a certified copy anyway for my own records, though I wouldn't know if this would be acceptable for a 4L application.

Despite the evidence being identical—old passports from the 1940s and a marriage certificate from 1930—are we really expected to send these documents back and forth with every application? Isn’t it enough to just reference the case number of the first applicant?

I would expect that is what you will have to do, yes. Each application is treated as unique. If it had been enough to do what you suggest it would have been state din the guidance.