Personal Immigration: British Citizenship
British Citizenship and Nationality Services
The British Nationality law governs citizenship and other categories of nationality in Britain. Due to the UK’s complex historical citizenship law, applying for citizenship can be challenging for individuals.
It is worth noting that the UK permits what is known as dual nationality or dual citizenship. You can be a British citizen as well as a citizen of other countries.
Here are the nationality laws for adults and children:
British citizenship for adults
Foreign nationals who have acquired Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) often called Permanent Residence in the United Kingdom, can apply for British Citizenship. The minimum period to hold ILR is 12 months, post which they can apply for citizenship.
Foreign nationals may also apply for a British Citizenship if:
they are married to or in a civil partnership with British National, lived in the UK lawfully for at least 3 years and have held IRL for any length of time.
However, the rules also stipulate that applicants for British citizenship have ‘good character.’ That is, they have no unspent criminal convictions and must not have tried to cheat or deceive the Home Office. Neither should they be involved in immigration offences in the past decade. All absences from the UK during the qualifying period must meet the residency requirements criteria and fall within the permissible limits. It is also advisable to keep hold of any documents or evidence that show the reasons for your absence.
Additionally, applicants are required to be endorsed by two referees and must pass an English language and Life in the UK test. Once they are successful, applicants must attend a citizenship ceremony.
In case, you have queries about your rights to citizenship or to receive qualified guidance about your British citizenship application, it is advisable to seek professional help.
Our team of experts have more than 10 years’ experience dealing with every type of immigration and naturalization application, from the simplest to the most complex. If you would like to talk to one of our advisors, please contact us on 020 3713 7052.
British citizenship for children
A child under the age of 18 is eligible to apply for British citizenship under specific circumstances such as the following:
- They were born in the UK and their parent(s) became British or settled after they were born. (An individual is considered as settled if he/she has indefinite leave to remain or permanent residence in the UK(for EEA nationals)
- Irrespective of their parents’ nationality or immigration status, if the child was born in the UK, or lived in the UK until at least the age of 10 and spent less than 90 days per year outside the UK during the first 10 years of his or her life.
However, the registration of children as British citizens is more flexible as compared to that of adults. The Home Office also exercises some discretion depending on the circumstances.
Any child living in the UK, even if they were born outside the UK, can apply to become a British citizen on a discretionary basis if the parent(s) of the child are British or settled in the UK, and the child is likely to stay in the UK in the future. It is likely that such an application may succeed. In general terms a child who is older, and has been living in the UK for longer, has a better probability of seeing their application succeed.
While there is no English language test or citizenship ceremony for children the application still needs to be endorsed by two referees.
Occasionally, when a child is neither British by birth, nor has any entitlement to registration nor qualifies for the usual discretionary application criteria, the Home Office applies wider discretion to register a child if there are “exceptionally compelling” or compassionate circumstances.
At West End, our team of experts has a wide range of experience in naturalization and citizenship laws having worked on the finer aspects of immigration for 10 + years. We have the expertise and ability to handle any degree of complexity. If you would like to get in touch with one of our advisors, please call us on 020 3713 7052.