Applying naturalisation by post

[hsyasin]

Hi all,

I was just wondering in this modern day and age of NCS and JCAP, are there any warriors out there who have applied their naturalisation by post?
If yes, then does anyone know roughly how long does it take? is it same as MN1 5-6months?

Reason I ask is, I live in Ipswich and I'm unable to find any appointment till begining April, none in cambridge, norfolk or suffolk

[hsyasin]

Also, is there anything new happening this year with rules or fees in April?

Used to happen every year till last year, but last year as everyone knows, they changed fees mid March.

[CR001]

Hi all,

I was just wondering in this modern day and age of NCS and JCAP, are there any warriors out there who have applied their naturalisation by post?
If yes, then does anyone know roughly how long does it take? is it same as MN1 5-6months? It can take a couple of months or it can take many months, some member reportedly waiting over a year. You will not have your original documents as you only get these back shortly before or after approval letter. You obviously cannot use JCAP if you apply by post.

Reason I ask is, I live in Ipswich and I'm unable to find any appointment till begining April, none in cambridge, norfolk or suffolk London maybe if you are prepared to travel.

[CR001]

Also, is there anything new happening this year with rules or fees in April? No announcement as yet has been made on increase in fees.

Used to happen every year till last year, but last year as everyone knows, they changed fees mid March.

[hsyasin]

Thanks for the reply CR,
yeah, there's a lot for silence on fees or rule changes, that's what is scaring me.. otherwise I can go ahead and book in April

[CR001]

Thanks for the reply CR,
yeah, there's a lot for silence on fees or rule changes, that's what is scaring me.. otherwise I can go ahead and book in April

Nationality LAWS don't change very often as they are much harder to change compare to immigration RULES.

[Summertime76]

Hi all,

I was just wondering in this modern day and age of NCS and JCAP, are there any warriors out there who have applied their naturalisation by post?
If yes, then does anyone know roughly how long does it take? is it same as MN1 5-6months?

Reason I ask is, I live in Ipswich and I'm unable to find any appointment till begining April, none in cambridge, norfolk or suffolk

Hi hsyasin,

I applied by post mid-December 2016 and it wasn’t long before the application was approved (start of February 2017). Now, guess that all depends on each individual case, additional checks and overall workloads. But if you are confident in all of your dates, supporting evidence, and don’t require original travel documents (or have alternative ones) for few months then postal application is a good option too. Especially when some local councils charge a small fortune for the service.

[dapto10]

Hi hsyasin,

I've done all my immigration / Naturalisation applications via post, never used solicitors or NCS and I haven't had any problems. I would have never used my Council's NCS service anyway, they are extremely rude and VERY expensive.

As other members have rightly said, only downside is if you have travel plans and have no other travel document, you could end up stuck in the country for months, and in some cases a year. It's easy for EEA citizens as they can travel on their ID cards whilst their passports are at the HO.

Apart from that - and if you know what you're doing (you'll need to carefully read guidance and check your application and supporting documents) - I don't see why anybody should be worried about applying themselves via post.

[vinny]

I don't see why anybody should be worried about applying themselves via post.

Apart from original documents getting lost?

[dapto10]

Apart from original documents getting lost?

Yes, that is a fair point, Vinny. You're absolutely right.

I hear the Home Office asks more and more applicants to send some original documents later in the process, which documents will have to be returned via post anyway. It's a matter of calculating the risk, I guess.