Post
by ferdinando33 » Sun Apr 13, 2014 3:15 pm
Hi all,
Thanks for your replies and apologies for not keeping you more up-to-date with my situation and for thanking you earlier.
Here is a little update of where I currently stand:
I applied for naturalisation and was denied. This was the key message I drew from their letter, "As you have not been exercising your treaty rights for a continuous period of 5 years you do not meet the requirement."
I don't understand this as I have been in the country for more than the necessary time and haven't had any excessive times outside of the country.
I initially thought that this was mainly due to my lack of an ILR but, upon reading your replies and the FAQ's again and finding the following, I don't think that this is the case:
Q5: I'm a EEA national/family member of EEA national. When can I apply for naturalisation?
Under EEA regulations, Permanent Residence status is obtained automatically after 5 years of exercising treaty rights. You need to hold PR status for 1 year to be eligible for naturalisation (unless you are married to a BC) so effectively you can apply after 6 years of residence in the UK. Having a PR Confirmation (following EEA3/EEA4 application) is optional and is not required in order to apply for naturalisation.
You have two options:
1. Apply after 6 years in the UK. This includes 5 years of exercising treaty rights + 1 year with PR. You will need to provide proof of the 5 years (similar to what is needed in EEA3/EEA4 application). Form AN has a specific section (Q2.4-2.6) for such application.
2. Apply 1 year after the issue date of the PR Confirmation (EEA3/EEA4). In this case, there is no need to prove treaty rights again and normally just your passport (and Life in the UK test) is required.
If you hold a PR Confirmation for less than 1 year but have lived in the UK for 6 years, you can apply using option (1). The PR confirmation can only be used if you apply 1 year after the issue date. The reason is that the PR Confirmation only contains one date - issue date. It doesn't state when the PR status was actually acquired. If you want to use a PR date prior to the issue date, you will need to provide treaty rights proof to prove it.
I am now thinking of approaching an agency to deal with contesting my refusal. I don't know how strong my case is because I don't have an ILR or PR document but do have plentiful documentation to prove that I have been living and working in the UK for a substantial amount of time.
I normally wouldn't go down the agency route but when compared to the sum I thought I was facing (ILR £1051 + Naturalisation £850 [again!]) I hope it won't be as much.
This is how I look at it:
Best case scenario they can contest the naturalisation refusal and I am granted naturalisation. I then have to pay the agency fees of a few hundred pounds.
Worst case scenario:
I am refused again, have to apply for PR and then apply for naturalisation AGAIN! This will obviously be far more costly.
Again, any views you have on this would be much appreciated.
Many thanks,
Ferdinando