Home / Legal Areas / Immigration/ Becoming a british citizen

becoming a British citizen

British citizenship gives you the right to live and work permanently in the UK. You need to make sure you are a British citizen before you can apply for a passport.



Call Today
020 3795 9020



Our Email
INFO@LGBTLAWYERS.CO.UK



Our Address
39 CHURCH ROAD, HOVE, BN3 2BE

Contents for becoming a British citizen

1. How Can I Apply?

2. Do I Qualify to Become a British Citizen?

3. Why Might it be Difficult for Me to Become a British Citizen?

4. How can a Lawyer Help You to Become a British Citizen?

How can I apply?

There are multiple ways to apply for British citizenship: by application, by a representative. Once you’ve chosen, you can then decide if you’d like to apply by post or online form.

Your biometric details will need to be collected at your nearest UKVCAS centre, and you can submit your forms and documents either from abroad or from within the UK.



You should know…

Normally, you can apply for a British citizenship by ‘naturalisation’ if you’re over the age of 18.

Naturalisation is the legal process of changing your nationality, either automatically by statute, or through an application that will need approval by a legal authority.

DO I QUALIFY TO BECOME A BRITISH CITIZEN?

MOST COMMON OPTIONS FOR APPLICATIONS

You were born in the UK (although this depends on when you were born and the circumstances of your parents.)
If you moved to the UK (this is when you would apply for citizenship by naturalisation)
You are married or in a civil partnership with a British citizen (you will need to have lived in the UK for a minimum of 3 years for this.)
You have indefinite leave to remain ( ILR) ( you will need to have lived in the UK for a minimum of 5 years to obtain an ILR, and a following 12 months after receiving this to apply for citizenship.)
You have permanent residence status. If you are from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you can usually get permanent residence status after living in the UK for 5 years)

OTHER OPTIONS FOR APPLICATIONS

You have a British parent
You’re stateless
You have previously renounced your citizenship
You have another type of British nationality
You’re a commonwealth citizen (take a look at gov.uk/british-citizenship for more information if you’re a Commonwealth citizen; there are a lot of conditions)

Why might it be difficult for me to become a british citizen?

You’re unsure whether you meet the requirements for citizenship

-It’s not often clear to see if you qualify to become a citizen or not.

You want to challenge the decision (or rejection) of your application

– A consultation with a lawyer will be able to highlight what issues there may have been in your application. However, if your application has been rejected for an unfair or odd reason, a legal representative will be able to challenge this and help you complete your application.

English is not your first language, and you need a lawyer to complete your forms for you

-The application to become a citizen is complex enough without the difficulty of it being in a different language.

You have a criminal record or a poor immigration history

-If you have previously had a visa application that was rejected, or if you have a history of criminal behaviour, you may need an immigration lawyer to represent you and help you complete the process.

5. Your case is particularly complex

-If your visa route has a high refusal rate, such as a spouse visa or an entrepreneurial visa, you may need a lawyer to help you with your complex case and to represent you.

How can a lawyer help you to become a british citizen?

Becoming a British citizen can be particularly complex, especially as the refusal rate for applications is so high. Something as simple as filling in one of your forms incorrectly could really damage the changes of your application succeeding.

While you don’t have to have a lawyer for your citizenship application, it’s highly recommended, particularly if your case is complex or if you have a spouse or family members involved. Most commonly, applications where you are unsure if you qualify or if you have a criminal history, will definitely require legal assistance.

A lawyer will be able to help you with all of your application forms, from start to finish, and if your application is denied, they will help you to review it and see why it has been refused. If you do choose to challenge the refusal of your application, you’ll need a lawyer to tell you whether you have grounds to contest it or not.

Need a lawyer to help you become a british citizen?

Get in touch today by giving us a few details and a brief outline of your matter, and we’ll put you in touch with an LGBT Lawyer.

* indicates that a field is mandatory. Please note all enquiries are handled by our referral partner Britton and Time Solicitors and that by submitting an enquiry, you are providing your permission for your contact and case details to be passed on to Britton and Time Solicitors.

OTHER LEGAL AREAS

CIVIL LITIGATION

CRIMINAL DEFENCE

DISCRIMINATION

EMPLOYMENT DISPUTES

FAMILY LAW

LANDLORD & TENANT

WILLS & PROBATE

Becoming a british citizen Not Right For Your Situation?

Haven’t been able to find the information or solution you were looking for? Here are all the immigration services on offer from the LGBT Lawyers network.

FAMILY VISA

INDEFINITE LEAVE TO REMAIN

SEEKING PROTECTION OR ASYLUM

TIER VISA

VISITOR VISA