British Citizenship

BRITISH CITIZENSHIP

British Citizenship confers the right to live in the UK and freedom of movement in the European Union.

British Citizenship can be acquired through birth, descent, registration or naturalisation.

UK Citizenship Through Naturalisation
The general rule is that a foreign or Commonwealth national who has lived in the UK for five years or more can apply for naturalisation as a British citizen if they:

 are of good character;

 have sufficient knowledge of English;

 intend, once naturalised, to have their principal home in the UK; and

 meet the residence requirements.

Once naturalisation has taken place, you will then be able to apply for a British passport. To apply for a British passport, you would normally need to provide their current passport, the Certificate of Naturalisation and the completed form. You would also need to provide the names and details of 2 referees who are British citizens.

UK Citizenship Through Birth
Since the British Nationality Act of 1981 came into force, those born in the UK do not automatically have the right to acquire of British Citizenship.

British Citizenship can now be obtained through birth, descent, registration or naturalisation.

UK Dual Nationality
The UK allows British citizens to have dual nationality. Therefore, there is no requirement to give up another nationality when you become a British citizen, but you are free to do so if you wish.

Persons with dual citizenship may apply to have a ‘Right of Abode’ stamp placed in their foreign passports to enable them to travel in and out of the UK on these if they wish.

UK Permanent Residence
Permanent residence is known as "indefinite leave to remain" and is often referred to as ‘settlement’.

An application for permanent residence can be made after completing the stipulated number of years of continuous residence in the United Kingdom. This varies depending on which immigration category you fall under.

A person with permanent residence may stay in the UK indefinitely so long as they do not leave the country for extended periods. The "returning resident" rules state that a person should not normally leave the UK for a period of over two years without returning to reclaim their residency.

Border Immigration and Citizenship Act 2009

On 1 January 2010 the Border Immigration and Citizenship Act 2009 came into force which dramatically changes the way in which migrants may apply to become British permanent residents or British citizens. Specifically, indefinite leave to remain will be replaced with what is called Probationary Citizenship. These provisions will come into force in June 2011. Migrants who hold Probationary Citizenship may have to remain in this category for up to three years to progress to British citizens and up to five years before being able to progress to settlement.

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