ILR - British Citizenship

[E44302]

Hello All,

I wanted to take a break once I have the ILR. I am applying for it in the month of May this year in person. I am hoping it would be quick and easy. After that I was planning to go to India for a period of 4 months. I wanted to know if that would be a problem when I apply for British Citizenship.

As per the website, the applicant should:

lived in the UK for at least the 5 years before the date of your application
spent no more than 450 days outside the UK during those 5 years
spent no more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months
had settlement (‘indefinite leave to remain’) in the UK for the last 12 months if you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA)
had permanent residence status for the last 12 months if you’re a citizen of an EEA country - you need to provide a permanent residence document
not broken any immigration laws while in the UK

The two points in bold have got my attention. Will it cause a problem if I stay out of UK for 4months. I will not be crossing 450 days in all my 5 years. Secondly can I apply after i come back and spend 12 months in the UK.

[CR001]

Your absences are counted UP TO the date of application. It does not continue counting after you have submitted your application.

However, do you mean that you will go to India AFTER your approval and ceremony or do you mean once you have submitted you are going for 4 months?

[E44302]

CR001, maybe I didnt quite explain properly.

1. I will apply for ILR in May.
2. I hope I get it in same day appointment.
3. I plan to travel to India once I have the ILR.
4. I am homesick and want to stay in India for a longer duration. Around 4 months.
5. I plan to come back after my holiday, spend 12 months and then apply for British passport.

My question is: will the long absence cause a problem while applying for the passport?
1. I will not be crossing 450 days in the last 5 years as previously I have been out of the UK in the last 5 years for around 60 days in total. So even if I stay 4 months in India my total would be 180 days or so.

[CR001]

For citizenship, as long as your absences are within the limit of what the requirements are then there should be no issue.