ceremony invitation letter

[mando112]

hi guys,

had approval letter today and called council to book a slot
they will call me back .

I still haven't received the invitation letter and understanding from ukvi, it will specify the place you should do your celebration/ceremony

question is, is it safe to assume if I live in london in specific borough then I will be allocated to that borough ?

now regarding ceremony , I understand I can do it privately if I want it done urgently
how does it feel, you in a room ?

and following that can i apply for passport online ? if so what is the lead time and would I need an interview.
I have seen some people needing one and some don't

also should I take a passport photo ready to submit online or how would they ask for it ?
online or posted ?

thanks

[CR001]

hi guys,

had approval letter today and called council to book a slot
they will call me back .

I still haven't received the invitation letter and understanding from ukvi, it will specify the place you should do your celebration/ceremony If you have not received the joint approval/ceremony letter, then wait till you get the ceremony letter if you only received the approval letter today.

question is, is it safe to assume if I live in london in specific borough then I will be allocated to that borough ? Unless you specified a specific alternative council, the ceremony will take place in the council your residential address is under.

now regarding ceremony , I understand I can do it privately if I want it done urgently
how does it feel, you in a room ? You on your own in a room with the official, 10 minutes tops, likely feels 'rushed'. Group ceremony is much more of a pomp and ceremony.

and following that can i apply for passport online ? if so what is the lead time and would I need an interview. You can apply once you have attended your ceremony. You need the certificate number to apply.

I have seen some people needing one and some don't It varies and mostly these days doesn't appear to be required.

also should I take a passport photo ready to submit online or how would they ask for it ? Even if you apply online, you still have to print the declaration and post it.
online or posted ?

thanks

[mando112]

many thanks for prompt reply and great help from this forum


I did book a slot while waiting for the letter as want it done asap and then want to get the passport

I have seen some people can get an appointment within 2-3 days on private costing £100

and then apply for the passport and some people report 5 days all in so should hopefully best case scenario have my passport by end of the month


is there a risk in booking the slot without the letter? I know you won't be accepted it without it but if it doesn't arrive then you can change the date

so I suppose I still need a picture and should take them ready to post?

Thanks

[CR001]

You still need a photo and referees. You can only complete the online form once you have your certificate as you need the certificate number for the online form.

[mando112]

thanks and sorry if I sound dumb.

is it just the details of the referees or need to be on paper?
I rather get it sorted now
is there a link to what they should be ( job and how long known you )?

[CR001]

Referees need to sign the referee section of the form. You cannot submit an online application until you have attended your ceremony.

If you want to get everything ready, I suggest you complete the paper form instead so you can just write in your certificate number and post it on the same day as your ceremony.

british-citizenship/citizenship-faqs-co ... l#p1343777

[mando112]

thanks I read through this which is very helpful


https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... ations.pdf

I was excited as I thought I can do fast track but can't as it is not for first time applications

also there is no referee as such it is just someone to sign your photo and a statement on section 9. only 1 person which is much easier than what you need for ILR and British as they need to be director or ....

on passport they are relaxed on the work referee does.

so when you do it online, you get the form which the refeere needs to sign then ?

[mando112]

do you know how long the referee should have known you ?

[CR001]

Have you actually read the link that you have provided where it very clearly states in Section 10 that the referee MUST have known you for 2 years

[mando112]

thought I seen it somewhere but couldn't find it once I looked for it again

my friend has known me for over 10 years and is IT system analyst so suppose that will be ok as reference ?

if they don't agree with it , do they ask you for a new application and reference detail meaning you have to get your photo signed again ?

[CR001]

Your passport referee must be :

* Over 25
* Of good charachter
* A Professional referee, see accepted-occupations-for-countersignatories (click), your friends occupation does not appear on the list.
* A British/Irish citizen

[mando112]

All,

I used a solicitor and my approval was sent to them on 2nd feb received on 7th feb.

the letter addresses the solicitor saying look at the decision re your client on next page

next page is addressed to me saying i have been successful and i should wait for the ceremony letter . would that be sent to solicitor or me ?

what do you actually see on that invitation letter? does it mention the borough and if you want to change it so you can do it quicker in another borough then would that be a quick change via the email they provided or need to wait for another printed certificate ?

many thanks

[CR001]

Not that easy to change councils for the ceremony. It takes a few weeks as the council have to send your documents back to HO once you have made the request and then they get sent to the new council.

The letter will either give you details to contact plus your reference number or it will tell you the date and time of the ceremony.

If you don't wish to wait, you can contact the council to book a private ceremony which costs extra.

Please keep your questions in one topic.

[mando112]

Sure will do re keeping the same thread

I tried calling council but they won’t book me in as they said they haven’t received whatever they need from ho

So i suppose i have to wait and want to travel

[CR001]

If they don't yet have your certificate from HO, then no, you cannot book as you won't be on their system.

You will need to wait or contact them in a few days.

You are of course free to travel. Simply book your ceremony according to your plans.