Citizenship

[WalkerByName]

Hi,

I am an American married to a BC. I will be completing a five year route and applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain in December 2018 (I applied and was initially granted a spouse visa after 9 July 2012). I can't seem to find a straight answer as to whether or not, as a spouse, I am eligible after 12 months or if I can go ahead and apply for citizenship right away once I am granted ILR. Can someone please clarify this for me? I see mixed replies all the time for this on forums and the website at gov.uk seems to imply it's a 12 month wait, but that circumstances are slightly different for spouses. There is no mention of a 12 month wait when you follow the link for spouses specifically on that page (only if your spouse works outside of the country, which mine does not). It looks like for spouses I need to have lived here for 3 years, which I have been here longer than. Help?

I'd really like to know, as I don't want to waste my time applying only to be denied citizenship if I apply before I'm eligible. Any advice would be appreciated!

[CR001]

If you are married to a British citizen, you DO NOT have to wait 12 months on ILR before you can apply for BC, provided you meet all the standard residence requirement under Section 6(2) spouse of BC based on 3 years residence, including the absence limit and being physically present in the UK on the exact same date 3 years ago to the date you apply.

[WalkerByName]

I did wonder if I could immediately apply for citizenship. Some had suggested that I could. Thank you!

[WalkerByName]

My daughter and I will be renewing our last visa (ILR) in December this year (2018). She has a Dependent Visa, I have a Spouse Visa; we are completing the five year route. Will she have to wait a year before she is eligible for citizenship once we receive our ILR Visas? I just want some clarification. Thank you in advance!!

[CR001]

Topics Merged (click)

[CR001]

How old is your daughter??

[WalkerByName]

Apologies, I should have posted her age. My daughter will be 20 at the time of our application for our visas in December this year. (She was a minor when she was initially granted her Dependent Visa status.)

[CR001]

As she is an adult, she has to wait 12 months on ILR before she can naturalised as British and needs to mee all the standard 5 year residence requirements.