Query regarding holding off citizenship ceremony for a trip abroad

[clariejoseph80]

Hello All,
My husband received a British naturalization email today he currently holds an Indian passport, but he has a planned trip in the last week of May to the USA and would be back in the first week of July, given there would be a passport strike he is in a dilemma to attend the British citizenship ceremony and then apply for the British passport as the timeline is too tight, could you please advise on the below points, Thanks

1) Could he hold off his citizenship ceremony and apply for a US visa on his Indian passport and fly to USA in May

2) Could he hold off his citizenship ceremony for more than 90 days and attend in July to get his British citizenship

3) Does he become a British citizen on receiving the email from home office or after attending the citizenship ceremony

Kind Regards

[meself2]

1) Could he hold off his citizenship ceremony and apply for a US visa on his Indian passport and fly to USA in May

Yes.

2) Could he hold off his citizenship ceremony for more than 90 days and attend in July to get his British citizenship

DOn't think it's possible now, as it was COVID concession; other members can clarify.

3) Does he become a British citizen on receiving the email from home office or after attending the citizenship ceremony

At the ceremony, when he gets a certificate.

What he can try to do is to delay the ceremony as much as possible, then, after getting certificate, travel to USA and come back. He's still legally allowed to hold his Indian passport after ceremony - https://www.hcilondon.gov.in/page/surre ... -passport/

There is a grace period of three months after acquisition of foreign nationality (to be counted from the date of registration / Naturalisation Certificate and not from the date of foreign passport) for using Indian passport for travel. But the grace period is not applicable once the British/Foreign Passport is acquired, he/she should travel only on the British/Foreign passport once the same is obtained even if he/she is within the grace period of three months.

But the question would be if he can get back to UK.

Other members can (and should) weigh in, but that's something for consideration.

[meself2]

What he can try to do is to delay the ceremony as much as possible, then, after getting certificate, travel to USA and come back. He's still legally allowed to hold his Indian passport after ceremony - https://www.hcilondon.gov.in/page/surre ... -passport/
There is a grace period of three months after acquisition of foreign nationality (to be counted from the date of registration / Naturalisation Certificate and not from the date of foreign passport) for using Indian passport for travel. But the grace period is not applicable once the British/Foreign Passport is acquired, he/she should travel only on the British/Foreign passport once the same is obtained even if he/she is within the grace period of three months.
But the question would be if he can get back to UK.

Yep, he'd have to cut and send back his UK ILR after naturalization, which would cause him to not have anything that would make Stupid let him on a UK flight. Don't think it's feasible.

[Ticktack]

Hello All,
My husband received a British naturalization email today he currently holds an Indian passport, but he has a planned trip in the last week of May to the USA and would be back in the first week of July, given there would be a passport strike he is in a dilemma to attend the British citizenship ceremony and then apply for the British passport as the timeline is too tight, could you please advise on the below points, Thanks

1) Could he hold off his citizenship ceremony and apply for a US visa on his Indian passport and fly to USA in May

2) Could he hold off his citizenship ceremony for more than 90 days and attend in July to get his British citizenship

3) Does he become a British citizen on receiving the email from home office or after attending the citizenship ceremony

Kind Regards

Note that there's currently a wait time of 89 days to schedule a US visa interview in London. Except he's probably trying to get a date from a different city.

If he hasn't gotten a visa already (as your message suggest), in order to make good on his May travel plan, then the British citizenship ceremony, British passport application and ESTA application seems like the only way to go.

FYI, also know that being granted a US visa isn't always 100% certain.

[clariejoseph80]

Thanks everyone for the advice, will try the British passport route fingers crossed