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Home > Services > British Citizenship Application Guide
The British Nationality Act of 1981 is hard to understand and follow. For a successful application for British citizenship, you need to know a lot about this very technical area of law. At Citylaws, highly qualified lawyers have been working for more than ten years advising and helping them become British citizens successfully.
We stay with you through the whole process of applying for British citizenship and give you appropriate advice. We make sure you understand the process and help with application specifics in the best manner.
Overseas nationals apply for British citizenship by naturalization to become full citizens of the UK. All naturalization applications to the government are considered on a discretionary basis, which means that, although the requirements for naturalization are specified in law, no applicant has the “title” to citizenship by completing these requirements. Each case will be considered separately, despite clearly established naturalization requirements.
The Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) status allows the bearer to remain in UK indefinitely. ILR holders can live, work, and study without permission.
ILR holders can live, work, and study in UK without requiring authorization. They can receive healthcare and benefits and may sponsor family members from abroad.
They have access to healthcare and benefits and may be able to sponsor family members to join them in UK from abroad.
Children born in the UK to ILR holders are immediately British by birth.
ILR holders lose their status if they leave the UK for 2 years or more (their status would lapse).
If ILR expires, they may need a visa to return to the UK. But, British citizenship can be revoked in extreme cases, but it can’t be lost by absence.
Unless you are married to a British citizen, you must wait one year from the day your ILR was granted to apply for British citizenship. In addition, you must have resided in the United Kingdom for five years before to the application deadline.
Those who are married to British citizens who hold ILR status and have lived in the UK for three years previous to the application date are eligible to apply for naturalisation.
Before submitting an application for British citizenship, it is advisable to gather the necessary documents.
If you want to become a citizen through naturalization, you’ll need to:
If you’re not sure if you meet the “continuous residency requirements,” contact our experts in immigration law.
After submitting your application and paying the applicable fee, your application will be assigned a unique reference number. This will also be used when you upload supporting papers and register biometric information. However, it is typically not possible to immediately trace your application. If additional documentation is required, a caseworker from the Home Office will contact you in writing. If the application does not meet the criterion for service, you should receive a letter confirming this. You will receive a letter informing you of the decision of your application.
Marriage to a British citizen does not qualify you for citizenship automatically. To be eligible for British citizenship, you must also have been given “Indefinite Leave to Remain”, whether through a spouse visa or another method. You must have lived in the UK for three years before to your application, in addition to being married to a British citizen and having ILR status.
Under British law, not all British-born children are citizens. A kid who was born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983 and whose parent was a British citizen or settled in the UK is automatically a British citizen.
If a kid is born in the UK to parents who are neither British citizens nor settled there, the child does not automatically obtain British citizenship. If at least one of your parents was a British citizen or settled in the UK when you were born, then you would be a British citizen by birth.
Yes, British law permits all citizens to hold dual or multiple nationalities.
Yes, British law permits all citizens to hold dual or multiple nationalities.
You must have spent less than 90 days outside the UK in the 12 months before applying for British citizenship.
One referee must be a professional of any country, such as a doctor or minister. A lawyer can be a referee, but not your application representative. The second referee must be British and over 25.
