UKM application experience and timeline

[Coljones]

An interesting find. It appears that Commonwealth Citizens (including Australian) are NOT required to undertake Citizenship Ceremonies - would anyone like to comment (although Jeda in Perth had to do one)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... 2.0ext.pdf

Nationality Policy: general
information – all British nationals
Version 2.0
This guidance covers cross cutting elements of Nationality applications

Published for Home Office staff on 19 February 2021

On page 20 it says

"Ceremonies
The oath and pledge
Section 42(2) of the 1981 Act explains who is not required to take an oath of
allegiance. These are:

• those not of full age
• those who are already:
o British citizens
o British overseas territories citizens
o British Nationals (Overseas)
o British Overseas citizens
o British subjects under the 1981 Act
o citizens of any country of which Her Majesty is Queen
Everyone else, including British protected persons, must take an oath of allegiance
before they can become British citizens.

Countries whose governments recognise the Queen as Head of State are:
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• the Bahamas
........."

[wootme]

I read this too while scanning the BNA 1981.

It peaked my interest as I'm from a Country where the Queen is Queen. Other parts of the act also mention that these citizens should also be considered citizens from the day of the registration (rather than the ceremony) but it seems like we're just bundled with the rest. I think it's less problem for them to just split minors and adults rather than see who already has allegiance to the Queen and her heirs.

I do wish they'd follow the law and just mail us the certificate when a decision is made (like they do with minors) instead of making us wait for local bureaucracy for a ceremony.

[cnhartford]

Has anyone that is in my same time line as me, received an invite from the embassy? My 3 months since approval is coming up in a couple of days, I think cnhartford and BostonBrit are also about the same frame. Just wondering if we are all going to have to email.

Nothing on my end yet. Based on the time estimate I was given re: diplomatic mail, I figure I should hear back no later than September 10. Planning to follow up then if I haven't received anything.

I was just contacted (via email) by the British Consulate in Los Angeles, confirming receipt of my certificate of registration to become a British citizen. They said that they'll be in touch over the next two weeks to schedule my ceremony which will be conducted via Microsoft Teams (and that friends and family are welcome to attend).

So close to the finish line!

[cobra2]

I was just contacted (via email) by the British Consulate in Los Angeles, confirming receipt of my certificate of registration to become a British citizen. They said that they'll be in touch over the next two weeks to schedule my ceremony which will be conducted via Microsoft Teams (and that friends and family are welcome to attend).

So close to the finish line!

Oh cool, according to your time line you are just a couple days ahead of me with your approval, so hopefully mine is coming soon. My Consulate is also LA, so here is hoping.

Also thanks to Mick for your suggestion, that is really good information to have and I will try it if I don't hear something soon.

[cnhartford]

Oh cool, according to your time line you are just a couple days ahead of me with your approval, so hopefully mine is coming soon. My Consulate is also LA, so here is hoping.

Also thanks to Mick for your suggestion, that is really good information to have and I will try it if I don't hear something soon.

Here's hoping! The consulate in LA seems to be moving quickly; my ceremony is scheduled for the 26th. I expect your invitation will follow quite soon. Keep us posted!

[Coljones]

Eligibility criteria: UKM Mother YOB 1920 Me YOB 1947
Nationality: Australia
Applying from: Australia
Method of application: Online

Date of application: 25Jan21
Date of acknowledgement by UKVI (by email): 29Jan21
Date of receipt by UKVI (confirmed by postal service): 04Feb21
Date of 1st email requesting biometrics - lost in email cloud 22Mar21 - check your spam!!!
Status request sent 15Jun21
Date of new email requesting biometrics and date of my reply with availability: 15Jun21
Date of email confirming VFS biometrics appointment: 15Jun21
Biometrics taken: VFS Sydney NSW 17Jun21

Email Date of approval: 05Aug21 (following a status request 05Aug21
Notification of Documents being returned: 31Aug21 with docs
Documents sent from HO: 18Aug21
Documents arrived in Oz: 31Aug21

Date notified of Embassy ceremony appointment: TBD
Date of Ceremony: TBD

6months from go to approval even with the biometrics issue (3 month gap)
Biometrics to approval - 6 weeks

[cobra2]

I received an email last Thursday from the LA consulate to expect an email within 2 weeks to schedule my ceremony via teams. I received that email today and my ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow. So once your certificate gets to the consulate, it seems they are pretty quick and on top of it.

[cnhartford]

I received an email last Thursday from the LA consulate to expect an email within 2 weeks to schedule my ceremony via teams. I received that email today and my ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow. So once your certificate gets to the consulate, it seems they are pretty quick and on top of it.

Congrats! I got the same e-mail but in reality it only took them a few days to follow up.

The ceremony lasted all of 3 minutes. Hold your passport up to your camera, recite your oath or affmiration, and confirm a few details (e.g. mailing address) for the consul. My certificate was delivered 2 days after the ceremony concluded, so I've already sent off my passport application.

Good luck! Almost across the finish line.

[cobra2]

When applying for the passport, did you guys send your current home country passport? I thought we would have to send off our current passports again but the guidance on the website kind of makes me think I just need to send full colour copies of every page of my current and expired passports. It's not 100% clear to me though, so just wondering if others who have already applied for their first UK passports sent their current passport or just copies?

[cnhartford]

When applying for the passport, did you guys send your current home country passport? I thought we would have to send off our current passports again but the guidance on the website kind of makes me think I just need to send full colour copies of every page of my current and expired passports. It's not 100% clear to me though, so just wondering if others who have already applied for their first UK passports sent their current passport or just copies?

I sent my original passport. The verbiage on the site seemed to indicate that copies weren't acceptable.

Based on some others' experiences, I expect the turnaround to be a bit faster than it was while waiting for my citizenship to be processed so I'm not too concerned. (then again I have no international travel plans in the next few months)

[MickByNameAndNature]

When applying for the passport, did you guys send your current home country passport?

Yes. The application tells you to.

I did mine a month or so ago, and the total time was 25 days, and by far the longest part of that was my documents reaching them. I went with the cheapest tracked method of USPS Priority international and it took almost 2 weeks to reach them. If you go with DHL or FedEx at a much higher cost, your time could be cut by about 10-11 days.

Check my last timeline that I posted.

[cnhartford]

When applying for the passport, did you guys send your current home country passport?

Yes. The application tells you to.

I did mine a month or so ago, and the total time was 25 days, and by far the longest part of that was my documents reaching them. I went with the cheapest tracked method of USPS Priority international and it took almost 2 weeks to reach them. If you go with DHL or FedEx at a much higher cost, your time could be cut by about 10-11 days.

Check my last timeline that I posted.

FWIW, delivery of my documents (Phoenix to HMPO in Durham) via USPS Priority International took 7 days. Transit times seem to be improving.

Cost was $39.70 USD. Looked at other options but they were around twice as much, or more.

[MickByNameAndNature]

FWIW, delivery of my documents (Phoenix to HMPO in Durham) via USPS Priority International took 7 days. Transit times seem to be improving.

Cost was $39.70 USD. Looked at other options but they were around twice as much, or more.

Here is my last timeline: british-citizenship/ukm-application-exp ... l#p2026415

PASSPORT
Application submitted from US/Ask someone to confirm your identity/Email sent to person confirming your identity: 15/07/2021
Identity details received/Application received: 16/07/2021
Documents received: 27/07/2021
Application being processed: 29/07/2021
Application approved/Passport printed and sent: 04/08/2021
Passport Received: 09/08/2021
Returned Documents Received: 11/08/2021

Total time from application to receipt of passport: 25 days


Looks like it actually took about 10-11 days to receive the documents, so it depends on if you want to pay for the 2-3 day delivery. For me, wasn't worth it, and as it took less than a month for the whole process, considering I'd already waited over a year....

[sunburn]

When applying for the passport, did you guys send your current home country passport? I thought we would have to send off our current passports again but the guidance on the website kind of makes me think I just need to send full colour copies of every page of my current and expired passports.

I did not send in my US passport. I just sent a color copy of the pages of the latest one, and stuck a post-it saying I need the original.

[MadMouser]

I'm pretty close to the end of my journey, and just found this site. Here's my information, to the best of my knowledge. I'm a little concerned about the passport processing time. We have a holiday scheduled at the end of December. I'm not sure that there's enough time to submit the application before then, so I'll probably do it when we get back.

Eligibility criteria: UKM (Romein)
Nationality: USA
Applying from: UK (hired an attorney, probably wasn't needed, but wanted to be safe)
Method of application: Postal with documents overnighted to attorney in UK
Date of application: 2021-01-17
Date of receipt of acknowledgement: 2021-01-26
Date Biometrics Enrolled: 2021-04-14 (US CIS)
Date of receipt of approval: 2021-05-23
Date of receipt of invitation: 2021-09-16 (email)
Date of Ceremony: 2021-09-28 (virtual ceremony)

[Coljones]

Eligibility criteria: UKM Mother YOB 1920 Me YOB 1947
Nationality: Australia
Applying from: Australia
Method of application: Online

Date of application: 25Jan21
Date of acknowledgement by UKVI (by email): 29Jan21
Date of receipt by UKVI (confirmed by postal service): 04Feb21
Date of 1st email requesting biometrics - lost in email cloud 22Mar21 - check your spam!!!
Status request sent 15Jun21
Date of new email requesting biometrics and date of my reply with availability: 15Jun21
Date of email confirming VFS biometrics appointment: 15Jun21
Biometrics taken: VFS Sydney NSW 17Jun21

Email Date of approval: 05Aug21 (following a status request 05Aug21
Notification of Documents being returned: 30Aug21
Documents returned: 30Aug21

Date notified of Embassy Virtual Ceremony appointment: 21Sep21
Date of Virtual Ceremony: 28Sep21
Receipt of Certificate of Registration as a British Citizen 30Sep21

6 months from go to approval even with the biometrics issue (3 month gap)
8 months from go to Ceremony and Certificate
Biometrics to approval - 6 weeks
Approval to Ceremony and Cerificate - 8 weeks
My status requests were handled promptly and in a friendly manner.

Application made for 1st UK Passport 30Sep21 - I'll keep progress posted on the Passport timeline pages.

[cnhartford]

Today I received my British passport, so that concludes my journey. Start-to-finish was 331 days. No real bumps along the way -- just needed a bit of patience as some steps took a bit longer than anticipated. I suppose COVID and Brexit will have that effect.

My final timeline is below.

Eligibility Criteria: UKM
Nationality: USA
Applying from: USA
Method of application: Online with documents sent via post
Payment method: Credit card
Application submitted: 11/11/2020
UKVI application acknowledged: 12/11/2020
Documents sent: 13/11/2020
Receipt by UKVI (per tracking): 26/11/2020
Biometrics appointment requested: 15/02/2021
Biometrics appointment received: 12/04/2021
Biometrics appointment date: 16/04/2021
Approval: 08/05/2021
Documents returned: 21/05/2021
Contacted by local consulate: 18/08/2021
Invitation for ceremony: 20/08/2021
Ceremony: 26/08/2021
Applied for passport: 31/08/2021
Documents sent: 31/08/2021
Receipt by HMPO (per tracking): 07/09/2021
HMPO document receipt acknowledged: 13/09/2021
Passport approved: 04/10/2021
Passport received: 08/10/2021

[ketel1]

Just found this thread - great stuff!
I'm helping my wife with her British Ctizenship (UKM) and it's been just under 6 months since we originally submitted her application back on 22.04.21.
We received her Biometrics appointment letter back in July, which finally just got scheduled last week for 08.11.21. However, we drove to the biometrics center today to see if they had an opening, and as luck would have it she was able to get it done - 3 weeks ahead of schedule!
I want to ask how she will receive word of her application approval/denial, and how long does that usually take after the biometrics are submitted?
Lastly, by what shipping company (FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc...) are her documents returned, and is there any tracking info sent prior to them going out?
Thanks for any insight, and congratulations to all who have finished the process!

[simd]

Just found this thread - great stuff!
I'm helping my wife with her British Ctizenship (UKM) and it's been just under 6 months since we originally submitted her application back on 22.04.21.
We received her Biometrics appointment letter back in July, which finally just got scheduled last week for 08.11.21. However, we drove to the biometrics center today to see if they had an opening, and as luck would have it she was able to get it done - 3 weeks ahead of schedule!
I want to ask how she will receive word of her application approval/denial, and how long does that usually take after the biometrics are submitted?
Lastly, by what shipping company (FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc...) are her documents returned, and is there any tracking info sent prior to them going out?
Thanks for any insight, and congratulations to all who have finished the process!

Some of this may depend on the location/country. My Biometrics were done in Canada and I received an e-mail 25 days later to advise me of my successful application. I am still awaiting return of my documents and correspondence from the local High Commission regarding a citizenship ceremony; I am currently exactly 8 weeks since the e-mail. I queried the delay via e-mail and received a standard response advising me to wait 12 weeks before making further inquiries.

[ketel1]

Here is my wife's timeline:

Eligibility Criteria: UKM
Nationality: USA
Applying from: USA
Method of application: Online with documents sent via FedEx International Priority
Payment method: Credit card
Application submitted: 22APR21
UKVI application acknowledged: 26APR21
Documents sent: 05MAY21
Receipt by UKVI (per tracking): 07MAY21
Biometrics appointment requested: 26JUL21
Biometrics appointment received: 13OCT21
Biometrics scheduled appointment date: 08NOV21 ** Walked in 18OCT21 and Completed **
Approval: TBD
Documents returned: TBD

[ketel1]

Just found this thread - great stuff!
I'm helping my wife with her British Ctizenship (UKM) and it's been just under 6 months since we originally submitted her application back on 22.04.21.
We received her Biometrics appointment letter back in July, which finally just got scheduled last week for 08.11.21. However, we drove to the biometrics center today to see if they had an opening, and as luck would have it she was able to get it done - 3 weeks ahead of schedule!
I want to ask how she will receive word of her application approval/denial, and how long does that usually take after the biometrics are submitted?
Lastly, by what shipping company (FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc...) are her documents returned, and is there any tracking info sent prior to them going out?
Thanks for any insight, and congratulations to all who have finished the process!

Some of this may depend on the location/country. My Biometrics were done in Canada and I received an e-mail 25 days later to advise me of my successful application. I am still awaiting return of my documents and correspondence from the local High Commission regarding a citizenship ceremony; I am currently exactly 8 weeks since the e-mail. I queried the delay via e-mail and received a standard response advising me to wait 12 weeks before making further inquiries.

Thank you for your response. Good luck, and continued patience - you're just about there!

[jmtdancer]

UPDATE:

I am now a Citizen of the United Kingdom!

Ceremony completed: 1:02 pm, EDT, July 6, 2021

Total time from application to ceremony: 347 days

The virtual ceremony was conducted via Microsoft Teams and lasted about 7 minutes in total. She read a statement about becoming a British citizen, I read my oath/affirmation, and that was really all there was to it. They did not record the meeting and said that wasn't something that was offered. They are now going to send my certificate to me so I should have that in a few days. I'll then have to send it straight back out with the passport application.

I'll still be checking in through the passport process. Best of luck to everyone still waiting!

Congratulations! I'm in the USA also and am still waiting for my ceremony invitation. It's been 5 and 1/2 months since my decision letter, so I've submitted an enquiry to the British consulate near me. Thanks for your posts regarding how you did that. Fingers crossed I'll hear something soon!

[xyz001]

Hi All
I am applying for British citizenship via the UKM (Romein) route. I am a South African citizen but currently reside in the USA (non-immigrant work visa). I received my biometrics enrolment letter today from UKVI. The instructions in the letter, however, were for making an appointment with TLS in South Africa. I have written back to UKVI asking if I can do the biometrics in the USA. Not sure how long it will take to get a reply from them... so I thought I would ask here: does anyone know if one can do biometrics in the country you reside in when you are not a citizen of that country?
Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this.

My timeline:

Eligibility criteria: UKM (Romein)
Nationality: South Africa
Applying from: USA
Method of application: online
Date of application: 23/10/2021
Payment method: Debit card
Date of acknowledgement of application: Payment acknowledged 23/10/2021
Date money gone off account: 25/10/2021
Date supporting documents sent: DHL 25/10/2021
Date of receipt by UKVI: (confirmation from DHL): 27/10/2021
Date of letter requesting biometrics: 05/11/2021
Biometrics appointment date: TBA
Biometrics done: TBA
Date of approval: TBA
Date of ceremony: TBA
Date applied for passports: TBA
Date passports received: TBA

[David3397]

Hi All,

I've been reviewing the timelines and I think our application must have been lost. My wife applied on March 1, 2021 and managed to get her biometrics in the UK done on November 25th. We had no good updates until we contacted our MP to get an update and that seems to have triggered the Biometric appointment in early November. No notices since they received the Bio stuff.
Its impossible to get through via email or the phone, both paths result in "we're too busy, dont bother us" - Incredible.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? We have no idea what to expect at this point.

[zazu777]

Hi All
I am applying for British citizenship via the UKM (Romein) route. I am a South African citizen but currently reside in the USA (non-immigrant work visa). I received my biometrics enrolment letter today from UKVI. The instructions in the letter, however, were for making an appointment with TLS in South Africa. I have written back to UKVI asking if I can do the biometrics in the USA. Not sure how long it will take to get a reply from them... so I thought I would ask here: does anyone know if one can do biometrics in the country you reside in when you are not a citizen of that country?
Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this.

My timeline:

Eligibility criteria: UKM (Romein)
Nationality: South Africa
Applying from: USA
Method of application: online
Date of application: 23/10/2021
Payment method: Debit card
Date of acknowledgement of application: Payment acknowledged 23/10/2021
Date money gone off account: 25/10/2021
Date supporting documents sent: DHL 25/10/2021
Date of receipt by UKVI: (confirmation from DHL): 27/10/2021
Date of letter requesting biometrics: 05/11/2021
Biometrics appointment date: TBA
Biometrics done: TBA
Date of approval: TBA
Date of ceremony: TBA
Date applied for passports: TBA
Date passports received: TBA

I hope you've sorted this out already, but if not I'll share my experience with you.

I am doing the same application as you (UKM) and I received the same letter, giving the address of the TLS in South Africa to do the biometrics, but I live in Japan. After much head scratching, and web searching, I came to understand that you can book the appointment at any centre that does biometrics. So I registered at the VFS in Osaka, booked my appointment, and went 2 days later... no problems. I think they just provide the TLS in South Africa address automatically when they see that someone with a South African passport is applying. Anyway, hope that helps and good luck!