Conflicting Home Office Updates: "IT Issue" vs. "Outstanding Check" & What Next?

[zxyzhgp]

Apologies, I may have gotten mixed up with another thread.

If you choose to reapply there is no guarantee that the application will be progressed faster. The checks requested will most likely be the same.

Thanks, so (statistically thinking) it is a much better choice to just wait for the current application and not reapply, no matter if it takes another year or so. (Pls correct me if I'm wrong).

Maybe your long delay is due to the checks from your country of origin

Highly unlikely that the UK asks for information from the Iranian govt.

An immigration advisor suggested that the UK govt has started to do more deep checks on people from some nationalities, including Iran. He said that the number of officers/caseworkers who are on that particular office doing those checks do not match the workload.
Considering that other Iranians are getting their response in 2-3 months, I assume the check is only done on SOME applicants.
The big question is if the check is done on A: random APPLICANTS OR B: random APPLICATIONS.
If A --> I will be checked even if I reapply.
If B --> I might not be checked if I reaply.

I'll just wait for now.

I have some Iranian friends and they all got citizenship very quick a few years ago

[tanha_rixby]

I have some Iranian friends and they all got citizenship very quick a few years ago

Same for most of my Iranian friends. But the unlucky of us (that I am aware of) are waiting 1y, 1.5y, and 6.5 years.

I can't comment on your chances, just that I don't think rolling the dice again will necessarily give you a quicker outcome, at the same time there are no guarantees on how long you could be kept waiting with your current application.

Got it, thanks for your advice. I guess I'll just wait for another couple of months, perhaps reach out to the caseworkers again, and if the message is the same, might re-apply.

Have you mentioned in your application or communications with the HO/MP that you had job offers that were rescinded on the grounds of you not having British citizenship?

Yes, several times. I got template response suggesting that while the enquiries are ongoing, they cannot make a decisoin.

They caseworkers once mentioned in a reply to IEC that:
"UKVI will request the checks to be expedited, however as there is a backlog of cases that require consideration they cannot provide a timeframe, at this stage"

That was mid-July, and they confirmed nothing is received yet (mid-October), which basically suggests they can ask for it, but the other agency doesn't priorotise me in the backlog anyways!

[tanha_rixby]

Quick follow-up to my post above: I'm thinking of buying a house, but I'm worried a change of address will restart the checks. Given how long I've already waited, do you think it's too risky?

[contorted_svy]

If you want to buy a house, then do it. You can communicate the change of address later. Buying a house is not a quick process, if you are still waiting when it's time to move you can reassess at that point, as you mentioned you are pondering to reapply/

[gingerbread777]

@tanha_rixby Someone had their application approved after 2 years and 4 months — seems they only made complaints, not an ombudsman referral. Just to put things in perspective, it’s worth noting.

[tanha_rixby]

@tanha_rixby Someone had their application approved after 2 years and 4 months — seems they only made complaints, not an ombudsman referral. Just to put things in perspective, it’s worth noting.

Thanks for the perspective, do you have any info about his nationality and what the underlying issue was for the delay? Did he complain right after the 6 months point, or after 2 years?

[contorted_svy]

@tanha_rixby Someone had their application approved after 2 years and 4 months — seems they only made complaints, not an ombudsman referral. Just to put things in perspective, it’s worth noting.

Thanks for the perspective, do you have any info about his nationality and what the underlying issue was for the delay? Did he complain right after the 6 months point, or after 2 years?

This is the thread being referred to record-for-longest-time-waited-to-reach ... 55107.html

[secret.simon]

I have already lost principal job offers that specifically required citizenship, and it's pointless to apply for more while I'm awaiting the result.

I'm intrigued by this statement and wonder if that has a role to play in the delay.

To the best of my knowledge, the only jobs that require British citizenship are those in the security and diplomatic services. And some of those even require both parents to also hold British citizenship.

But otherwise, almost no jobs in the UK require British citizenship as a pre-condition. Even a non-British citizen who has Commonwealth citizenship and ILR can be elected MP or be appointed to the Lords, and they can be appointed ministers or even the Prime Minister. In theory, British citizenship is not a requirement for even the head of government. Within the UK, having ILR (which you already have) is more than sufficient for most purposes and almost all jobs.

So I wonder what kind of job offers have you received and if the job offers (assuming they are from the security or diplomatic services) may have triggered any additional vetting of your application.

[tanha_rixby]

I'm intrigued by this statement and wonder if that has a role to play in the delay.

To the best of my knowledge, the only jobs that require British citizenship are those in the security and diplomatic services. And some of those even require both parents to also hold British citizenship.

But otherwise, almost no jobs in the UK require British citizenship as a pre-condition. Even a non-British citizen who has Commonwealth citizenship and ILR can be elected MP or be appointed to the Lords, and they can be appointed ministers or even the Prime Minister. In theory, British citizenship is not a requirement for even the head of government. Within the UK, having ILR (which you already have) is more than sufficient for most purposes and almost all jobs.

So I wonder what kind of job offers have you received and if the job offers (assuming they are from the security or diplomatic services) may have triggered any additional vetting of your application.

It was a major technology firm that provides IT infrastructure for government departments. But it’s unlikely that this has triggered the check because the caseworker insists the remaining check was requested on the very same date that I did my biometric appointment. I applied for that job one day after my biometric appointment, so that job application can’t be the reason for the check. I was interviewing for a couple of months and the offer came some time later.

My biometric was done on the same week that I didn’t my application, so I guess it’s one of the checks that were auto-triggered by the system. The check’s name is very vague (‘resolve identity’) and the caseworker suggested that I won’t find much in the SAR.

I once did get a US visa but didn’t travel, but again, that is unlikely to be the reason because I can see in the SAR that the check from the international partner (US) was returned the same day.

[tanha_rixby]

I was thinking: could it be the case that they contacted my employer regarding character?

I provided a reference letter from employer (as a supplement to passport scans, to show we extra proof of residence just in case the caseworker can't find stamps in my passports), but I changed my job shortly after the application. I don't know if my previous company could be that "external agency"?
It's a big IT company and things could have got lost there. Just an speculation

[lolo2]

I don't think this delay has something to do with employment. Having a job is not a requirement for naturalisation, even unemployed people get naturalised. I also believe the job history of the applicant is irrelevant.

To the best of my knowledge, the only jobs that require British citizenship are those in the security and diplomatic services. And some of those even require both parents to also hold British citizenship.

But otherwise, almost no jobs in the UK require British citizenship as a pre-condition.

Not only defence or diplomacy, there are some other strategic industries in the UK that require British citizenship for some "key" positions.

I applied for a job in the nuclear sector before getting citizenship and the hiring manager contacted me asking if I was a British citizen. I only had ILR at the time and for that reason my application was rejected. I did apply because the JD didn't specify that British citizenship was required, otherwise I wouldn't apply for a job reserved for BCs before being naturalised. The organisation later readvertised the job with that requirement.

[alterhase58]

Note a letter from an employer is only used for confirming residency, by way of disclosing dates of employment, not for a reference.
Referee declarations are to support the "Good Character" requirement, however it is very rare that either referees or employers are contacted by UKVI.

[secret.simon]

Not only defence or diplomacy, there are some other strategic industries in the UK that require British citizenship for some "key" positions.

I applied for a job in the nuclear sector before getting citizenship and the hiring manager contacted me asking if I was a British citizen. I only had ILR at the time and for that reason my application was rejected. I did apply because the JD didn't specify that British citizenship was required, otherwise I wouldn't apply for a job reserved for BCs before being naturalised. The organisation later readvertised the job with that requirement.

Perhaps I should have phrased it as "jobs with major national security requirements" or something on those lines, but your example underscores my point Thank you.

[tanha_rixby]

Hi all, I'm looking for advice on a new approach.

My caseworker has written to me multiple times that the entire delay is one single check, pending since October 2024. She is basically saying "it's an external agency, it's out of my hands, all your escalations (MP, Minister, PM) just come back to me, please stop sending correspondence here and there.”

I'm in a total loop. The problem isn't her; it's that the external agency is taking over a year, which must be a resource/backlog issue that only senior officials can fix.

My new idea: I want to send another complaint (or a letter to the Home Secretary or Permanent Secretary), but this time, I will state clearly it is NOT about my application delay or the caseworkers. I want to complain about the HO's escalation process and policy failure.

My argument would be: 'My complaint isn't with my caseworker, it's with senior management for creating a system where external agencies aren't held accountable (perhaps under-resourced) and all escalation paths to raise this to senior officials are just a loop back to the powerless caseworker.'

I was thinking of linking it to the recent news about the new Home Sec wanting to "fix" the Home Office's "responsibility vacuum."

My big question and worry is: Will this actually work? How do I stop this letter/complaint from just being auto-forwarded? The complaints team will just see my UAN and send it straight to my caseworker again, which will just annoy her. She's already told me all correspondence comes to her.

Is this a stupid idea? Or has anyone found a way to actually get a senior civil servant to look at a systemic issue?

Thanks.

[contorted_svy]

We unfortunately don't know how to avoid things being auto-forwarded or if sending more emails would frustrate the caseworker. We also don't know if this conversation would on any way expedite your application. Trying is free I suppose, I don't personally recall any reports of anyone trying this and/or being successful in the last couple of years.

[secret.simon]

My response will come across as callous and harsh, but I think I'm being factual and dispassionate.

Look at it from a Home Office civil servant's point of view. They receive hundreds, possibly thousands of citizenship applications every month. The vast majority (90%+) are dealt with satisfactorily within the six month self-imposed deadline.

Of the handful that exceed six months, there are some, like yours, that are stuck with an external agency that they have no oversight of and no responsibility for.

From their point of view, it's not their problem. Worse, it's is nobody's problem but yours.

From their point of view, they don't see any urgency of you getting British citizenship. Others have, and you can, live decades in the UK on ILR. British citizenship is not a necessity to live in the UK, from their point of view. It's a lovely add-on, not a necessity.

So the question for you is, how do you chase something which is nobody's problem but yours? How does it negatively impact the Home Office if one person's naturalisation application is delayed because of an external agency check, when hundreds, if not thousands, have received naturalisation successfully in that timeframe?

Also, "systemic failure" may be a bit overblown. One edge case out of thousands of applications does not a systemic failure make.

[tanha_rixby]

My response will come across as callous and harsh, but I think I'm being factual and dispassionate.

Look at it from a Home Office civil servant's point of view. They receive hundreds, possibly thousands of citizenship applications every month. The vast majority (90%+) are dealt with satisfactorily within the six month self-imposed deadline.

Of the handful that exceed six months, there are some, like yours, that are stuck with an external agency that they have no oversight of and no responsibility for.

From their point of view, it's not their problem. Worse, it's is nobody's problem but yours.

From their point of view, they don't see any urgency of you getting British citizenship. Others have, and you can, live decades in the UK on ILR. British citizenship is not a necessity to live in the UK, from their point of view. It's a lovely add-on, not a necessity.

So the question for you is, how do you chase something which is nobody's problem but yours? How does it negatively impact the Home Office if one person's naturalisation application is delayed because of an external agency check, when hundreds, if not thousands, have received naturalisation successfully in that timeframe?

Also, "systemic failure" may be a bit overblown. One edge case out of thousands of applications does not a systemic failure make.

Thanks @secret.simon, that's a very helpful dose of reality. I wanted exactly this kind of feedback on how the system thinks.

On your point about citizenship being a "lovely add-on" – I'm not sure I agree, especially not in 2025. With parties like Reform UK projected to do well and openly talking about scrapping ILR (even retrospectively), citizenship feels less like an 'add-on' and more like basic security. It’s hard to plan a life here (buy a house, etc.) with that level of uncertainty.

And on it being an "edge case" – I'm not so sure. I personally know other Iranians waiting 2, even 7 years. We've even noticed the same caseworker name on our letters. It feels less like a random one-off, and more like a specific, broken check for a specific cohort. (My suspicion: a few caseworkers have a specific check they run on people from certain nationalities, and the external agency doing it is badly under-resourced).

I agree the caseworker can't do anything. But the 'external agency' is still part of the UK government (e.g. MI5) or an ally (like FBI). My argument is that a 400-day wait for one check isn't a 'process', it's a high-level policy failure (i.e., they've failed to properly resource that specific agency/check).

This brings me back to my main questions:

1. Given this, does this "policy failure" angle still seem like a total waste of time? I know I'm in uncharted territory, but the alternative is to just give up and wait for years. I'd rather at least try. Do you have any alternative suggestion?

2. What's the actual risk? If I do this and it just annoys the caseworker (who has already told me that communicating with others has no effect = politely saying "please stop"), what's the worst that can happen? Can they genuinely "make life miserable" in an indirect way, or am I just being paranoid?

I'm really just asking for your opinion on the risk vs. reward of trying this one last angle. Thanks.

[secret.simon]

on it being an "edge case" – I'm not so sure. I personally know other Iranians waiting 2, even 7 years. We've even noticed the same caseworker name on our letters. It feels less like a random one-off, and more like a specific, broken check for a specific cohort. (My suspicion: a few caseworkers have a specific check they run on people from certain nationalities, and the external agency doing it is badly under-resourced).

I am inclined to suggest that you look further in this aspect.

There are two possibilities that suggest themselves to me.

It is possible that there is internal Home Office guidance/procedures that require certain further checks to be triggered if certain conditions are met. In the past, the PDF guidance notes used to have certain sections redacted as being officially sensitive and thus not open/accessible to the public. It is possible that your case and those of other Iranians may fall into that category. That is to say that the caseworkers dealing with your applications may be following internal procedures/guidance that we're unaware of.

The alternative, which I think you have in mind, is that there's a bunch of caseworkers who are being discriminatory based on nationality/ethnicity. If you feel that is the case, I can imagine that you could make a complaint on that basis, along with providing the details of the other applicants who have been impacted in the same way. You'd of course need their consent to go down this route. And I can't imagine that would make you popular in the Home Office. But that is a route you may want to reflect on, along with your other friends similarly impacted.

I am inclined to think that the first option is the more likely one, of an unknown guidance that the caseworkers are following. They are called bureaucrats for a reason.

The 'external agency' is still part of the UK government (e.g. MI5) or an ally (like FBI). My argument is that a 400-day wait for one check isn't a 'process', it's a high-level policy failure (i.e., they've failed to properly resource that specific agency/check).

Either ways, neither MI5 nor dealing with the FBI or other international agencies is the role of the Home Office or Home Secretary. The relationships of those agencies with the Home Office will be regulated by arrangements and I doubt the Home Office will want to jeopardise those working arrangements for one or a few naturalisation cases, the speedy process of which the Home Office gains nothing, but chasing which may damage those working arrangements.

Essentially there is no benefit in chasing those agencies for the Home Office. And they may lose good working relationships for no benefit to them.

What's the actual risk? If I do this and it just annoys the caseworker (who has already told me that communicating with others has no effect = politely saying "please stop"), what's the worst that can happen? Can they genuinely "make life miserable" in an indirect way, or am I just being paranoid?

I don't think there's any risk, but only because I don't think there's any reward either.

The Home Office is unlikely to upset any apple carts over one or a few cases. So I doubt that anything, either positive or negative, will occur following your complaint.

I don't see any harm in trying, but I would set your expectations at nothing happening or improving too.

[mmicky5050]

If this was my appplication, I would

1. Chill out and act a bit less entitled

2. Present my case in terms of contributions to the British society - that’s the new buzzword at HO.

3. You can definitely make a humanitarian plea regarding ILR status being likely to be removed by the next expected government

4. If I was Iranian and had any connections to the mullah regime, I would explain that in detail. maybe add character references from British friends or employers, about my contributions and assuaging any fear that I might be a spy