UK Citizenship is classed as the concluding UK immigration service, which is available to foreign nationals who have already gained a permanent resident status in the UK through being granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

You must have been in the UK for a minimum of three to five years to be considered for UK Citizenship. If you are granted UK Citizenship it means you don’t have to apply for any more visas; you have full rights of citizenship, which includes a British passport. You will have access to employment, healthcare and education within the UK in the same way as British born nationals do.

If you are a foreign national who has been in the UK for a minimum of between three and five years and you have been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain then you may be eligible for UK Citizenship; however the requirements depending on your situation. Below is a list of the requirements needed for a variety of different situations:

To apply for UK Citizenship where you have been in Britain for three or more years you must fulfil the following requirements:

• Hold an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and be married to a UK citizen.
• Have not spent more than 270 days outside the UK in the last three years and no more than 90 days should have been taken in the last 12 months.
• Be over 18 years of age when making the application.
• Have a stable frame of mind
• Intend to continue to live in the British Isles
• Be able to speak an adequate level of English (or Welsh or Gaelic).
• Have a good character and nature.

To apply for British citizenship if you have been in Britain for five or more years you must meet the following requirements:

• Have held Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) for 12 months or more. There are many avenues that this could have been granted from such as if you had been in the UK under the Tier 1 of the Immigration Tier system , or a British work permit or after the completion of a two-year UK visa for spouse immigration, often known as a marriage visa.
• Have not spent more than 450 days outside the United Kingdom in the last five years and no more than 90 days in the last 12 months.
• Be over 18 years of age when making the application.
• Have a stable mental frame of mind.
• Intend to continue to live in the British Isles.
• Be able to speak an adequate level of English (or Welsh or Gaelic).
• Have a good character and nature.

All UK Naturalisation applications must include:

• Current passport and all passports held since entering the country.
• A diary of all the dates you have travelled outside the United Kingdom in the last 3 years, stating the country, the dates you travelled and the reason for travelling.
• Two referees who have known you personally for at least 3 years. They must be UK citizens, aged 25 or over, not related to you or to each other. They must not have been convicted of any criminal offence.

Other ways of qualifying for UK Citizenship is if you have a British mother who was born outside of the UK before 1st January 1983; if this refers to your situation then you now qualify through registration for UK Citizenship. Also if you are born to a British father you are permitted to undergo UK naturalisation.

If you require any help or guidance with your UK Citizenship application then contact Immigration Consult today. As UK immigration experts we will be happy to help you in any way possible with your application process.