Overview
Applying for British citizenship, also known as naturalisation, offers various pathways depending on your individual circumstances. If you meet the eligibility criteria through multiple routes, you can select the most appropriate option for your application.
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, processing times for citizenship applications may be longer than usual. However, this delay will not affect the final decision. Additional time will be provided for biometric enrolment, submission of supplementary information, and arranging a citizenship ceremony. If you have a specific deadline for the return of your documents, it is advised not to apply by post.
When applying for citizenship, it is important to have permission to stay in the UK until the citizenship is granted. This permission should extend until after you have participated in your citizenship ceremony. If you possess indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or have settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme, this will serve as your permission to stay in the UK.
If you were born in the UK, it’s important to note that British citizenship is not automatically granted. Whether or not you are a British citizen depends on the circumstances surrounding your birth and your parents’ status. To determine if you are a British citizen, it is necessary to check your eligibility.
If you were born in the UK and are not automatically a British citizen, you may still be eligible to apply for citizenship through the appropriate channels.
If you are married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen, you can apply for citizenship after having lived in the UK for the past 3 years. Additionally, you must hold either indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. If you meet these requirements, you are eligible to apply for citizenship immediately.
Ways you can be eligible
If you hold indefinite leave to remain (ILR), you are typically eligible to apply for ILR after residing in the UK for 5 years. In order to apply for citizenship with ILR, you generally need to have lived in the UK for an additional 12 months after obtaining ILR.
If you have “settled status” under the EU Settlement Scheme, you usually need to have lived in the UK for 12 months after receiving settled status to be eligible to apply for citizenship.
If you have not yet applied to the EU Settlement Scheme, there may still be an opportunity for you to apply for settled status under the scheme. Once you have obtained settled status, you can use it as a basis to apply for citizenship.
For individuals who have a British parent, possess another form of British nationality, have a parent with British overseas territories citizenship, are stateless, have previously renounced their citizenship, or fall under other special circumstances, there may be alternative pathways to eligibility for citizenship.
Additionally, if you are a descendant of a Chagossian (direct descendant of someone born in British Indian Ocean Territory), you may also be eligible to apply for citizenship.
If you’re a Commonwealth citizen
If you are a Commonwealth citizen, you may be eligible to apply for citizenship through the Windrush Scheme if either you or one of your parents arrived in the UK before 1973 and you have been residing in the UK without being away from it for more than 2 years. If your parent arrived before 1973, you must have either been born in the UK or arrived in the UK before reaching the age of 18.
It’s important to note that some Commonwealth citizens have the “right of abode” in the UK, which grants them the ability to live and work in the country without any immigration restrictions.