Alhamdulillah finally I got my British Passport.
I have been working as NHS Doctor since August 2016. In this blog post I will not share whole journey, I felt it should cover different post. I will only share some useful tips for making Naturalisation applications.
Before I started the application, I always thought, ' ok, I have ILR, this is the last hurdle I need to go through, this should be very straightforward" . But is it?
This is for people who already had ILR and in the UK through 5-year route, not 10-year route. Although the procedure might be pretty similar
Tip 1 : Preparation:
I went to Gov.Uk website and downloaded the most up to date guidelines on Naturalisation. This is absolutely crucial you go through this at least once. I made few important notes from it whichever I found relevant.
In this document there will be a section mentioning few legal requirement before you apply. Go through this section word by word. The documents you supply in the end should pretty much focusing on this.
Tip 2:
Do not throw away any previous documents with regards to your visa application until you receive your British passport. Keep the scanned copy at least.
Tip 3:
Make a draft copy of all the important points you think relevant to you. Like absence list in last 5 years, 12 months etc.
Write down the periods when you were outside of the UK.
Documents: Some of them are mandatory and some are not mandatory. This will be application specific.
Current and old Passport
My IELTS (UKVI) Test Report Form which was accepted when I got ILR/Settled in the UK.
Proof of addresses from last 5 years as support evidence that I have been living in the UK since… (my Passport will be the main evidence to prove this statement)
Emirates Ticket of me travelling outside the UK only once in last 1 year . Stamp on Page 8,11 on my passport to confirm this.
Current ILR Biometric Residence permit valid till …
Signed declaration to confirm consent for the home office to request verification check.
Two referee declaration forms.
Latest Payslip where I started working on …..
Latest P60.
Copy of my driving license.
My Driving license summary confirming that I do not have any offences or points against my name.
GMC certificate confirming that I have full registration with a license to practise as a doctor in the UK.
Tip 4:
Choose a Council for ceremony closer to your home. When you receive email from UKVI saying your application has been successful they will send the same email to your chosen council and also home office will forward the citizenship certificate to them. Once they have received this, they will email you with the date and time of the ceremony.
There were some delay in getting this notification from my council , so I went into panic mode. Contacted the council but they asked me to wait. Alhamdulillah after few days I received the email from them.
There is an option to do this privately earlier than the above date with around £100 (If you need it earlier)
Make sure you cut your ILR BRP in half and send it to BRP office once you receive your naturalisation certificate.
Questions they will ask during application:
Application reference of all the previous visa applications you made throughout last 5 years. It's better to have this in hand. This might not be possible/you might have lost it. Try to find information as much as you can. So all the previous documents is important. I had few of them , some of them I just mentioned my previous BRP no. But if you do not have any information at all then then you can just mention you do not have it.
Documents upload:
I did not need to attend any appointment
Uploaded all documents on UKVCAS app. They sent me a link within few days application.
Result:
After 6 weeks I received my success status from Home office.
Final tips:
After you have received your certificate from council, apply for the passport ASAP. Don't delay.
You have to make this application to HMPO - passport office.
I had to send all my old and my current passport (original), naturalisation certificate and other relevant documents like a letter from GMC which I downloaded from my GMC account.
Send these documents 24-hour/48-hour tracked service if you are sending via royal mail.
I sent my documents to HMPO just after Christmas holiday and royal mail strikes , so there were some delay.
Getting new passport:
They posted my new passport after 2 weeks of making my application. The originals documents you send will be posted separately after 2 weeks of getting you British passport.
You do not need to be at home to receive your new passport. The service is provided by TNT and they will just post it through your letterbox.
PS: I have recently read a book called 'Good vibes and Good life'. Excellent non fiction book for personal devlopement. If you are a book enthusiast, I would recommend this book. If not, thanks anyway for visiting my website and reading my blog. I wish you all the best.
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