At what point can you no longer travel on foreign passport?

[SuboJvR]

Hi there!

Looking for some advice on timelines please, for the best way to do things...

My husband was granted ILR (spousal route) in March 2019. We have started the citizenship application but not submitted yet.

We are due to visit Chicago in September. I’m going with work and he is accompanying me, I’m a British citizen so will be doing the visa waiver. Husband is South African, with the intent of losing his South African citizenship when he becomes a British Citizen.

I’m a bit worried we may end up in a situation where he is passport-less depending on how the timings go?

I initially thought that if we applied for citizenship, if we hadn’t had news by August then we would just do the US visa application process for him as a South African and get that in his South African passport.

Would this be viable?

My understanding with the new system is, like the ILR application, we won’t ever be without his documents for the citizenship application - he just takes them to the processing centre?

Any advice gratefully received

Would we be better waiting to do the citizenship until after we have returned? Will there be a limbo period whilst waiting for a British passport that we can’t travel using his South African one?

[CR001]

SA Home Affairs won't know he has lost his citizenship until he tells them and gets his passport cancelled and the letter stating he can enter and exit SA with his British passport.

He could have applied in March for already as soon as he got ILR.

IF he gets a quick approval for citizenship and doesn't wait too long for a ceremony, he might still wait a bit for a passport as summer is the busiest time at HMPO.

[SuboJvR]

Thank you that helps a lot.

Yes - he could’ve applied earlier but we had other circumstances which delayed us Not least needing to fork out another £1500 after the £3200 for ILR! He also started looking into a career change which we needed to clarify the citizenship application wouldn’t impact

[andystokes]

We're in the same boat! My South African wife has already applied for her british citizenship, it's been about 2.5 months but havn't heard anything yet.

We're due to fly to Florida at the beginning of August and was hoping we would have received something by now seeing as a lot of people on the time line pages receive their natralisation in 2ish months.

I'm not sure when the latest is we can apply for the US B1/2 visa to have it in her SA passport in time for our holiday but it would be nice to avoid yet another visa cost.

Does anyone know how long it will take to get an appointment at the US consulate and receive a tourist visa?

Thanks

[SuboJvR]

I’m now leaning toward us delaying his citizenship application until after we get back.

I try and google but I can’t find the answers I want...

- At what point would he become British? Would it only be after the ceremony? If so, I suppose there’s no harm in applying now?

- We could just defer the ceremony?

- Or would it be upon successful application, paperwork etc? Let’s say it comes back before we go on holiday? Would it be unlawful for him to travel on his South African passport? We wouldn’t do it, would rather just lose the flights!!!

[SuboJvR]

Hi

We are considering submitting my husband’s citizenship application.

What I am not clear on is at what point he would become a British Citizen, assuming it went through with no issue. And hence, at what point should he no longer travel on his South African passport?

Is it only after the ceremony? Or on completion of the application ‘process’?

We would still be looking to travel, potentially toward the end of the application timeline, without knowing when it would be granted it makes it difficult as to whether we plan to go on holiday using his foreign passport or cross everything and hope he can travel as a British citizen.

To my mind we could defer the ceremony until after our holiday, assuming this is all acceptable? He would still be ‘foreign’ until the ceremony is completed? He will be surrendering his South African citizenship when he gets his British so the timings do matter.

Please advise!

[CR001]

Please refrain from starting a new topic with each question. Topics merged!!

He is only British once he has attended his ceremony and received his certificate.

If he did not apply to retain his SA citizenship, he ceases to be a South African Citizen automatically on the date of his ceremony which is the date his certificate will be dated.

[SuboJvR]

Please refrain from starting a new topic with each question. Topics merged!!

He is only British once he has attended his ceremony and received his certificate.

If he did not apply to retain his SA citizenship, he ceases to be a South African Citizen automatically on the date of his ceremony which is the date his certificate will be dated.

Thanks - didn’t mean to spam up the boards.

So, we can apply for citizenship relatively risk-free then? I’m thinking, assuming the Home Office aren’t going to be overly prompt, we may be looking at delaying ceremony by a few weeks?

In the meantime, we should pursue the US Visa in his South African passport as plan B to ensure we can travel.

[CR001]

Once you get the approval letter from ho, you have to book the your ceremony within 21 days and attend the ceremony within 90 days.

[SuboJvR]

We're in the same boat! My South African wife has already applied for her british citizenship, it's been about 2.5 months but havn't heard anything yet.

We're due to fly to Florida at the beginning of August and was hoping we would have received something by now seeing as a lot of people on the time line pages receive their natralisation in 2ish months.

I'm not sure when the latest is we can apply for the US B1/2 visa to have it in her SA passport in time for our holiday but it would be nice to avoid yet another visa cost.

Does anyone know how long it will take to get an appointment at the US consulate and receive a tourist visa?

Thanks

There’s a 21 day wait at the London embassy roughly speaking at the moment so, I would probably aim to get the US visa in her passport now as August isn’t far away. Even if you got her application back tomorrow, you still wait a bit for ceremony and then up to 3 weeks for British passport...?

[SuboJvR]

Once you get the approval letter from ho, you have to book the your ceremony within 21 days and attend the ceremony within 90 days.

Thanks again!

Should all workout then.

It’s a bit of a gamble - but ultimately the only true risk is potentially him not being able to come to the States with me, and losing that flight cost I guess.

[CR001]

Not sure why you believe there will be an issue with travelling on his SA passport. No one is going to stop him or notify the sa authorities that he is travelling.

If he gets a us visa, regardless of the British citizenship application, he is free to travel, no "passport police" are going to chase him to confiscate his SA passport.

[andystokes]

We're in the same boat! My South African wife has already applied for her british citizenship, it's been about 2.5 months but havn't heard anything yet.

We're due to fly to Florida at the beginning of August and was hoping we would have received something by now seeing as a lot of people on the time line pages receive their natralisation in 2ish months.

I'm not sure when the latest is we can apply for the US B1/2 visa to have it in her SA passport in time for our holiday but it would be nice to avoid yet another visa cost.

Does anyone know how long it will take to get an appointment at the US consulate and receive a tourist visa?

Thanks

There’s a 21 day wait at the London embassy roughly speaking at the moment so, I would probably aim to get the US visa in her passport now as August isn’t far away. Even if you got her application back tomorrow, you still wait a bit for ceremony and then up to 3 weeks for British passport...?

Thanks for the info! In my head I imagined we would have the approval letter by now, have the ceremony in a few weeks then another week for the UK passport, just in time to get an ESTA. I guess we'll apply for the US visitors visa then, another £125 on visas .

[SuboJvR]

Not sure why you believe there will be an issue with travelling on his SA passport. No one is going to stop him or notify the sa authorities that he is travelling.

If he gets a us visa, regardless of the British citizenship application, he is free to travel, no "passport police" are going to chase him to confiscate his SA passport.

Well, it feels wrong to do it after he would become a British citizen? Is it not unlawful?

[SuboJvR]

We're in the same boat! My South African wife has already applied for her british citizenship, it's been about 2.5 months but havn't heard anything yet.

We're due to fly to Florida at the beginning of August and was hoping we would have received something by now seeing as a lot of people on the time line pages receive their natralisation in 2ish months.

I'm not sure when the latest is we can apply for the US B1/2 visa to have it in her SA passport in time for our holiday but it would be nice to avoid yet another visa cost.

Does anyone know how long it will take to get an appointment at the US consulate and receive a tourist visa?

Thanks

There’s a 21 day wait at the London embassy roughly speaking at the moment so, I would probably aim to get the US visa in her passport now as August isn’t far away. Even if you got her application back tomorrow, you still wait a bit for ceremony and then up to 3 weeks for British passport...?

Thanks for the info! In my head I imagined we would have the approval letter by now, have the ceremony in a few weeks then another week for the UK passport, just in time to get an ESTA. I guess we'll apply for the US visitors visa then, another £125 on visas .

Yep tell me about it LOL! Oh well, in our case it’s a ‘cheap holiday’ as he can accompany me with work. Costs mounting!

In the first passport application thread people are waiting 2-3 weeks so I think you guys may be pushing it!

[sonata]

Does anyone know how long it will take to get an appointment at the US consulate and receive a tourist visa?

Thanks

In the same boat. Have to go for Sister’s wedding in September and know there will be no chance for me to get documents in time. So will go for a visa

The US consulate in Edinburgh is pretty rapid from experience. The staff are particularly friendly. 10 Working days was all I needed. Don’t go to the one in London. It’s usually oversubscribed.

[AllAlong]

That's brilliant that they have a US consulate in Edinburgh now. Previously I had to go to London for US Visas. The long wait times at the London consulate was always a pain and travelling from Scotland for it.
I have a Namibian passport I use to travel with. Travelling the first time with my British passport this year.
I am lucky that I automaticly keep my Namibian citizenship too.