I am asking this on behalf of a friend. I’m seeking urgent clarification on how an ILR application might interact with an MN1 application submitted under Section 3(1) — i.e., a discretionary registration of a child as a British citizen by the Home Secretary.
Context (as of 7 July 2025):
- One parent is already a British citizen (naturalised in October 2024).
The other parent applied for ILR via the super priority route on 1 July 2025, and received a decision within two working days.
The child (born outside the UK) has held valid UK immigration status since 2019 and is currently on a dependent visa expiring on 29 July 2025.
The child has attended UK schools continuously since 2019 and is well integrated into the community (with letters from school, participation in extracurricular activities, etc.).
They submitted the child’s MN1 application under Section 3(1) on 3 July 2025, immediately after the second parent’s ILR was granted.
Their aim is to avoid submitting a separate ILR application for the child unless absolutely necessary, due to the significant cost involved.
If they submit an ILR application for the child (as a fallback measure close to visa expiry, e.g., around 25–26 July 2025) while the MN1 (Section 3(1)) application is still pending, will that pause, delay, or otherwise affect the outcome of the MN1 application?Follow-up points:
Do both applications proceed independently in Home Office systems? Has anyone experienced a case where applying for ILR while MN1 was pending led to confusion, delays, or rejection? Would submitting ILR just before visa expiry be a safe and valid strategy to preserve lawful residence while awaiting the MN1 decision?Any guidance from the moderators or those with similar timelines or experience would be hugely appreciated.
Warm regards,
D
