No insurance just before applying for naturalisation

[HeyArnold]

What an idiot am I... Need advice please

I am now eligible to apply for naturalisation. I have completed my naturalisation form and was just waiting to get paid on Friday and send off my form then. Yesterday I bought a new car and thought I'd be ok to drive the 2 miles to my house and sort the insurance then.

WRONG, got stopped for having no working rear light, cops being cops he managed to suss that I did not have valid insurance. He had my car seized and towed away. He told me to expect a court summons in the post but couldnt say how long it would take, he guessed about 6 weeks.

Now my dilema is do I post my application ASAP in the hope that when they do the police checks I wont have been processed and fined yet. Or am I already on the police computer.

Either i risk waiting another 5 years or my application denied and losing fee. Risk worth taking or not?

[Gyfrinachgar]

Yesterday I bought a new car and thought I'd be ok to drive the 2 miles to my house and sort the insurance then.

That is tough luck. Most car sellers give you a complimentary short-term insurance with new cars (usually a weeks worth). Check all the paperwork that came with your new car - if you have one of those, you can sit back, take a deep breath and relax. Otherwise: yes, your application has hit rocks before it even set sails.

To pretend it never happened would be a big mistake imho. Driving without insurance is, even if accidental, a criminal offence. Checks will be made for all BC applications - and you will normally be on the database within hours of the incident, certainly by the time a caseworker examines your application. In addition, you have to promise under section 6.1 that you will inform HO in writing of any circumstances that may affect your application while it is being considered, anyway. Regulations state that "caseworkers should count heavily against an applicant any attempt to conceal the truth". Failure to declare this could not only invalidate your application, but could also prevent you from successfully applying again within 10 years. Therefore, this must be declared under section 3.12 (if you are using form AN).

According to regulations, caseworkers cannot normally grant BC to persons with pending prosecutions. You can try to go for mitigating circumstances under section 6.7 in your application - but the prospect of success is in my eyes rather questionable. The booklet explicitly states that driving while uninsured is not a minor offence (therefore, caseworkers cannot exercise discretion and disregard), and I cannot see a pressing reason for leniency in your case.

Lastly one thing must be said (I know this won't earn me any Brownie points): as a car driver I am delighted that the police is taking a relentless stance on uninsured drivers. Whether it be two miles or two thousand miles, it is reckless and ruthless.