Naturalisation One Year After The ILR Grant Date (5 Years Residence Route)

You can apply for naturalisation as a British Citizen 12 months after the grant of your Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) by virtue of section 6(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981. An application for naturalisation as a British Citizen is made using application form AN.

Eligibility Requirements For Naturalisation As A British Citizen Under Section 6(1)

You can apply for British citizenship by naturalisation under section 6(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981 if:

• you’re 18 or over
• you are a person of sound mind
• you’re of good character, for example, you don’t have a serious or recent criminal record, and you haven’t tried to deceive the Home Office or been involved in immigration offences in the last 10 years
• you have intention to continue to live in the UK
• you’ve met the knowledge of English and life in the UK requirements
• you meet the residency requirement

And you must usually have:

• lived in the UK for at least the 5 years before the date of your application
• spent no more than 450 days outside the UK during those 5 years
• spent no more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months
• had settlement (‘indefinite leave to remain’) in the UK for the last 12 months if you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA)
• had permanent residence status for the last 12 months if you’re a citizen of an EEA country – you need to provide a permanent residence document

Good Character Requirement For Naturalisation As A British Citizen

An applicant for naturalisation as a British Citizen must satisfy the good character requirement to succeed in his application. The British Nationality Act 1981 does not define good character. However, the Home Office UKVI guidance sets out the types of conduct which must be taken into account when assessing whether a person has satisfied the requirement to be of good character. Consideration should be given by the Home Office caseworker to all aspects of a person’s character, including both negative factors, for example criminality, immigration law breaches and deception, and positive factors, for example contributions a person has made to society.

Future Intention Requirement

If applicants say their intention is to have their principal home in the UK, the Home Office UKVI should accept that they meet the requirement if they:

• meet the residence requirements, without the need to exercise any discretion over excess absences other than up to 30 day
• have an established home here
• have been, or intend to be, absent from the UK for not more than 6 months
• the absence was, or will be, clearly temporary
• if it is an intended absence, Home Office should be satisfied they intend to return to the UK
• they have maintained an established home here where any close family who have not accompanied them abroad have continued to live
• there is no information to cast doubt on their intention, for example, either:
  • a partner who is or intends to live outside of the UK
  • a recent absence from the UK for a period of 6 months or more

For Home Office UKVI to exercise discretion in relation to this requirement, the Home Office caseworker must be satisfied that the applicant has an established residence, family and a substantial proportion of any estate here.

European Economic Area (EEA) Nationals And Swiss Nationals

Being an EEA National or Swiss national, you should either have a permanent residence card or settled status under the EU settlement scheme before you can apply for naturalisation as a British Citizen.

Two Referees For Naturalisation As A British Citizen

The naturalisation application Form (AN) requires an applicant to be supported by two referees. One referee must be a person of professional standing and the other must be the holder of a British citizen passport and either a professional person or over the age of 25.

How We Can Help?

Our expert team of naturalisation solicitors can represent you in your application for naturalisation as a British Citizen and carry out all the work on your British Citizenship application until decision on your application is received from the Home Office UKVI. As part of our professional legal services in relation to your application for naturalisation as a British Citizen, our specialist team of naturalisation solicitors will carry out the following immigration casework:

• We will assess your eligibility for naturalisation as a British Citizen by considering all the relevant information including your past immigration history;
• We will advise  you on the chances of success in your application for naturalisation as a British Citizen and would draw your attention to any weaknesses in your application;
• We will advise you on the list of documents to be submitted in support of your application for naturalisation as a British Citizen;
• We will assess all the supporting documents to ensure that the documents you provide duly satisfy the Home Office UKVI requirements for naturalisation as a British Citizen;
• We will complete application form AN online, submit the same online, help you pay the Home Office UKVI fee for naturalisation as a British Citizen and schedule your appointment with the UKVCAS appointment centre for enrolment of your biometrics;
• We will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of the application explaining in detail your eligibility for naturalisation as a British Citizen by referring to all the relevant information, documents, laws and requirements;
• We will upload all the supporting documents online to be considered in support of the application including our cover letter prepared to support your application;
• We will carry out all the work on your application for naturalisation as a British Citizen until a decision is received from the Home Office UKVI on your application.

Our Fixed Fee For Naturalisation As A British Citizen

Unless your application is very complicated, our fees for an application for naturalisation as a British Citizen are given in the fee table below:

The agreed fixed fee will depend on the complexity of your naturalisation application and the volume of casework involved in the application. In addition to our fixed fee for naturalisation application, the applicant will also have to pay the Home office UKVI fees for the naturalisation application.