British Citizenship and Nationality

Applying for British citizenship is the final step in your journey to UK settlement.

Our solicitors for British citizenship can help you apply for British nationality. We understand that changing nationality is a major life step. We provide specialist British naturalisation advice to make your application as stress-free as possible.

If you are some years away from applying for British citizenship our immigration solicitors in London can help you with your visa applications, visa extensions and indefinite leave to remain applications.

Speak to our British citizenship lawyers in London now

For advice on British citizenship call us for an appointment at our offices in London or for a phone, Zoom or Skype consultation.

For expert help contact our solicitors for British citizenship.

Our British citizenship and nationality advice services

Our British citizenship lawyers are experts in naturalisation applications and will help you secure your new citizenship and a British passport.

Strategic immigration and British citizenship advice

Our British citizenship and nationality advice service includes:

• Settlement and citizenship strategic advice so you know which work or business visas lead to accelerated settlement so you can plan your quickest route to British nationality
• British citizenship after UK entry on a family visa or spouse visa
• British nationality for investors, entrepreneurs and innovators
• Nationality advice for people in the UK on work visas
• EU citizens moving from settled status to British citizenship
• Complex nationality applications
• Advice on whether your child is a British citizen
• British citizenship for child applicants
• Joined up immigration and British citizenship advice for couples growing their family through international adoption or surrogacy
• Windrush families
• Dual nationality
• Help if you have had a British citizenship application refused
• Advice on challenging revocation of British citizenship

Applications for British Citizenship

British citizenship allows you to stay in the UK permanently and enjoy the same rights as UK nationals.

Nationality applications involve five steps:

1. Check eligibility
2. Prepare required documents
3. Apply for British citizenship online by completing and submitting an online citizenship form
4. Pay application fee and book biometric appointment
5. Attend citizenship ceremony

British citizenship refusals

Many people instruct our solicitors for British citizenship after they have had a first application refused.

If your settlement application has been refused you have two potential options:

1. Request a reconsideration of the Home Office decision – this may be your best option to secure British nationality if our British citizenship solicitors think the Home Office made an error when determining your original application
2. Apply for judicial review – this involves challenging the lawfulness of the decision to refuse your application for British citizenship. For example, if Home Office officials did not apply the law or immigration rules properly or there was procedural unfairness or mistakes in the processing of your application

Our British citizenship lawyers have extensive experience with challenging British citizenship refusals and an impressive track record of success. If you are in the unfortunate position of having had an application refused our British citizenship solicitors will support you through every stage of the review process and ensure that with our specialist British citizenship advice and support you stand the best chance of successfully securing citizenship.

Life in the UK test

If you want to settle in the UK, you need to pass either:

• The Life in the UK test or
• The British citizenship test

British citizenship applicants do not need to sit a separate British citizenship test before applying for British citizenship if:

• They passed a Life in the UK test when applying for indefinite leave to remain or
• They are exempt from sitting the test. For example, if they are under 18 or over 65

If you need to sit the test as part of your settlement application, a UK citizenship lawyer can advise on what the test involves and how best to prepare.

Immigration advice for the Windrush generation

Our London immigration lawyers have been at the forefront of advocating for Windrush families. We continue to highlight the scandal in press and TV appearances and help individual Windrush victims.

Our British citizenship lawyers help Windrush individuals and their families with immigration advice, investigations into status and settlement applications. We achieve British citizenship for Windrush families through our detailed investigations, attention to detail and extensive experience in helping Windrush families.

Dual Nationality

While you may want British nationality you may be reluctant to lose your birth nationality. A British citizenship solicitor can advise you on whether, depending on your nationality of origin, you can hold dual nationality and gain most of the advantages of British citizenship without losing your nationality of birth.

British citizenship and nationality explained

What qualifies you to be a British citizen?

The rules on who is a British citizen by birth are complicated. A solicitor for British citizenship application can advise you on whether you qualify as a British citizen through:

• Where and when you were born
• Your parents’ circumstances at the date of your birth

If you are not a British citizen by birth you may qualify to:

• Register as a British citizen if you have another type of British nationality
• Apply for naturalisation after settlement in the UK

You can apply for British citizenship if you:

• Have lived in the UK for at least five years and have held indefinite leave to remain for at least 12 months
• Were born in the UK to at least one person with British citizenship
• Were adopted by a person with British citizenship
• Have British Overseas Territories citizenship
• Have an ancestral link to the UK although you were not born in the UK

A British citizenship lawyer can explain if you qualify for British citizenship and identify the evidence you will need to supply. The paperwork will depend on how you qualify.

Who can apply for British citizenship?

To apply for British nationality, you generally need to:

• Have lived in the UK continuously for at least five years
• Have held indefinite leave to remain for 12 months
• Have spent less than 450 days outside the UK in the five years before your citizenship application
• Have spent less than 90 days outside the UK in the 12 months before your application
• Be age 18 years or older
• Intend to continue to live in the UK after you obtain British citizenship
• Meet the English language requirement by sitting an English language test or being exempt because of your age, health, country of origin or qualifications
• Be of good character as defined in the immigration rules and Home Office guidance
• Have passed a British citizenship test or Life in the UK test.

Your naturalisation application requires you to prove all these elements. The process can seem a bit overwhelming if you do not have the support of specialist immigration lawyers to help you understand the naturalisation process and the documents you need to secure citizenship.

Can I apply for British citizenship by myself?

You can apply for British citizenship yourself but without the support and guidance of a British citizenship solicitor it can be tough to:

• Know if you meet the absence requirements
• Understand what documents you need to send with your application
• Find the information you need on the English language requirement and Life in the UK test
• Understand your options if the Home Office refuses your application
• Work out if your family members can apply for British citizenship at the same time as yourself

Mistakes in the application process and not sending the right paperwork are two of the most common reasons British citizenship applications get turned down. Working with a UK settlement solicitor can increase your chances of securing British nationality and speed up the process.

How much does it cost to get British citizenship?

There is a fee payable to the Home Office when applying for British nationality. There are also some small supplemental fees, such as the cost of sitting the English language test or the British citizenship test.

When you instruct one of our citizenship lawyers, we will explain how we can help you and discuss the cost. We normally charge a fixed fee for a citizenship application so you have the security of knowing that even if the Home Office asks questions or wants more documents you will pay an agreed fee.

We welcome initial calls and online inquiries to discuss fees and the timetable to secure your citizenship.

How long does the application take?

It can take around six months for the Home Office to process your citizenship application. Some applications are processed more quickly by the Home Office but at busy periods or if there are complicating features with your application it may take longer than six months for a decision from the Home Office.

You can stay in the UK while you wait for a British nationality decision as your indefinite leave to remain status continues in place.

Once a Home Office official grants your application the final stage in the application process is for you to attend a citizenship ceremony where you will be awarded British citizenship. You can then apply for a British passport.

Our immigration solicitors in London will keep you informed at every step of the application process and will guide you through each stage so you know what to expect.

What documents do I need for proof of residence for British citizenship?

In some situations, proving residence is straightforward. For example, if you have continuously lived in the UK as a skilled worker and paid taxes through HMRC.

In other cases, you may be asked to produce documents such as bank statements, a letter from an employer or your business accounts if you are self-employed. If you entered the UK on a spouse visa or family visa and have not been in employment our immigration experts can advise on the best documents to submit in support of your application.

Can you get legal aid to apply for British citizenship?

Legal aid for British citizenship is only available in very limited circumstances. For example, in qualifying asylum cases. In most cases, you will need to fund the cost of your settlement application. We offer fixed fee services so you know how much the costs will be even if we have to answer extra questions from the Home Office.

Can I pay for British citizenship in instalments?

The Home Office will not allow you to pay their application fee in instalments. Some applicants take out a private loan to help them cover the fees to secure British nationality and reach the end of their settlement journey.

Can I live in the UK if I marry a British citizen?

If you entered the UK on a spouse visa as the husband, wife or civil partner of your sponsoring partner you can live in the UK whilst on a family visa and after you secure indefinite leave to remain and British citizenship.

In some situations, people enter the UK on a student visa or skilled worker visa and they then switch to a family visa.

The right to live in the UK after marriage to a British citizen or a person with settled status is not automatic. You can only continue to live in the UK if you meet the family visa eligibility criteria and then the indefinite leave to remain criteria.

Our specialist solicitors can help with your nationality application whatever your circumstances. For example, if you secured indefinite leave to remain using a concession after your relationship broke down or if you switched to a different type of visa.

Why choose OTS Solicitors to assist with British citizenship applications and nationality issues?

In every naturalisation application, no matter how straightforward or complicated, we promise to:

• Explain what you need to do
• Keep you informed
• Communicate with the Home Office so they deal with your application as quickly as possible

Here are some other reasons why you may choose OTS Solicitors as your UK citizenship lawyers:

• We have an excellent success rate in British citizenship applications
• We hold the highest Law Society Accreditation award in immigration law
• We are recommended in Legal 500 for our immigration work
• You will work with a named lawyer and support staff who are available to take calls and to explain things if you have questions
• Our expertise in British nationality applications means we have lots of experience in complicated cases where, for example, good character or continuous residence is being called into question by the Home Office or where persuasion is needed to get the Home Office to exercise discretion and grant your application
• Our immigration solicitors will work closely with our family lawyers when you require immigration or British nationality advice for a child after an international adoption or surrogacy arrangement. We understand that speed is of the essence in some family-related immigration applications where you need a visa or passport to reunite your family
• Many of our lawyers and their families have been on similar settlement journeys and understand the stress of waiting for a letter from the Home Office and the pride in getting your first British passport
• Our London immigration solicitors speak Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French/Mauritian Creole, Spanish, Tamil Tagalog/Ilonggo, Urdu and Punjabi

Speak to our British citizenship and nationality lawyers in London now

For advice on a British citizenship application call us for an appointment at our offices in London or for a phone, Zoom or Skype consultation.

For expert help contact our solicitors for British citizenship