There are different routes to gain British Citizenship. Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible to apply for British Citizenship through one or more routes.

These routes include:

          ➤  Naturalisation

          ➤  Birth

          ➤  Marriage

If you’re not sure which one applies to you or which route you should choose, our team can provide expert advice.

Eligibility and requirements

Although there are several routes to obtain British Citizenship, general requirements to fulfil will include:

          ➤  Proof of living in the UK for at least 3 years prior to your application

          ➤  Proof that you have passed the Life in the UK Test

          ➤  Good knowledge of the English language through an approved test

          ➤  Good character (i.e. no criminal record, respect of immigration laws)

British Citizenship by Naturalisation

The most common route is called ‘Naturalisation’.  You can apply for British Citizenship by Naturalisation if:

          ➤  You’re 18 or over

          ➤  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’ll continue to live in the UK

          ➤ You’ve met the knowledge of English and Life in the UK Test 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 or settled status for the last 12 months if you’re a citizen of an EEA country – you need to provide a permanent residence document

          ➤ Not broken any immigration laws while in the UK

British Citizenship by Birth

Not everyone automatically gets British Citizenship when they are born in the UK, this also depends on parents’ circumstances and when they were born.

You may be eligible for British Citizenship by registration if you:

          ➤ Have another form of British nationality

          ➤ Were born before 1 January 1983 to a British mother

          ➤ Were born to a British father, even if he was not married to your mother

          ➤ Were born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983

          ➤ Are under 18 and don’t fit into the other categories

          ➤ Have a connection with Gibraltar or Hong Kong

          ➤ Are stateless

British nationality laws are very complicated as they involve historical changes.  We always recommend that clients discuss their circumstances with one of our immigration lawyers before moving forward with their application. We deal with British Citizenship applications every day. The Home Office views British Citizenship as a privilege rather than an entitlement. If you would like to discuss your case please contact us.

British Citizenship by Marriage

If you are married to or in a civil partnership with a British Citizen and have lived in the UK for the last 3 years prior to your application, you may apply for British Citizenship through the marriage route.

To apply, you will also need to have one of the following:

          ➤ Indefinite Leave to Remain

          ➤ Settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

          ➤ A Permanent Residence document

Since 1 January 2021, if you have the settled status you no longer can apply for a permanent residence document and will need to use your settled status to apply for citizenship.