EU citizen married to British applying for citizenship

[helenm1986]

Hi,

I need some advice please.
Am I able to apply for citizenship if I'm only working part-time and not paying tax (as have small children) and I'm also receiving child tax credit. The reason I'm asking is with my first child when I applied for child benefit they refused and said I was not self-sufficient and therefore not here legally :S
After that my husband was naturalised and is now a British citizen and so are our children.
How can I prove that I was here legally if I was a full-time student until 2010, then worked part-time (paying tax) for a year, then out of work for almost 4 months (not claiming job-seekers), then full-time employment for 2 years(paying tax), then out of work for about 6 months and claiming job-seekers. I then had our first baby and few months later started working part-time but not paying tax. About 2 years later I had our second child and I was not working for 9 months but receiving maternity allowance. Now I'm back to part-time work but not paying tax and I'm also receiving child tax credit. Would they be able to say that I haven't been here legally as not working or paying tax continuously?
Also as I'm married to a British citizen can I just apply that I'm financially dependant on him? If yes, How much does he have to earn to support both of us?
Thanks for any advice.

[CR001]

Do you have a document certifying permanent residence??

[helenm1986]

I haven't applied for PR card yet.

[CR001]

You require that before you can apply for citizenship.

Do you have a 5 year qualifying period of exercising treaty rights continuously as a qualified person to be able to apply for PR confirmation?

[helenm1986]

That's what I'm not sure of? I've been in the UK for over 10 years and haven't been abroad for more than 2-3 weeks in a year. But when it comes to work I'm not sure if I qualify. In the last 5 years I've been in full-time employment but also out of work and receiving job-seekers and now in part-time employment but not paying tax.

[helenm1986]

And does it matter if I'm receiving benefits (child tax credit)?

[CR001]

In the last 5 years I've been in full-time employment but also out of work and receiving job-seekers and now in part-time employment but not paying tax.

How long were the period that you claimed job seekers??

How many hours do you work part time?

[helenm1986]

I claimed job-seekers for about 5-6 months. I currently work for 16h per week.

[helenm1986]

Sorry would you please be able to advise me if claiming job-seekers in the past could be a problem for applying citizenship? And what about my current work situation of working part-time (and not paying tax) even if I'm married to a British citizen whom I financially depend on?

[milspectees]

Sorry would you please be able to advise me if claiming job-seekers in the past could be a problem for applying citizenship? And what about my current work situation of working part-time (and not paying tax) even if I'm married to a British citizen whom I financially depend on?

Being employed is not a requirement for citizenship. The time you spent on jobseekers counts as valid economic activity for the purposes of obtaining a PRC. No need to worry