Immigration Rules
Nationality
Naturalisation is the process by which adults who are over the age of 18 can apply to become a British Citizen. Registration is the process used for children under the age of 18 who wish to become a British Citizen.
Naturalisation as a British Citizen after 5 years of lawful Leave [Section 6(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981]
Citizenship Applications. This application is to be used by adults over the age of 18 who wish to apply for naturalisation after holding Indefinite Leave to Remain for at least 12 months. To apply for Naturalisation you have to be over 18 years old. You will need to complete the AN application form. You will need to prove you have met the English language requirement at B1 level unless you are exempt and that you have successfully passed the life in the UK test. Exemptions for the English language requirement will be met if you have obtained an academic qualification which meets the standard of a phD, Bachelor or Master’s degree in the UK or if you are a national from an accepted majority English speaking country.
Naturalisation for British Citizenship as the spouse of a British Citizen [Section 6 (2) of the British Nationality Act 1981) ]
This application is to be used by adults over the age of 18 who wish to apply for naturalisation as a British citizen as the spouse of a British citizen. This application can only be completed after you have held indefinite leave to remain in the UK for at least 12 months. You will need to complete the AN application form. You must have lived in the UK for at least three years before you can apply. To satisfy the requirements you should not have been absent from the UK for more than 90 days. You will need to prove you have met the English language requirement at B1 level unless you are exempt and that you have successfully passed the life in the UK test. Exemptions for the English language requirement will be met if you have obtained an academic qualification which meets the standard of a phD, Bachelor or Master’s degree in the UK or if you are a national from an accepted majority English speaking country.
Registration as a child – 10 year route (T form) [Section 1(4) of the British Nationality Act 1981]
This application is to be used by children under the age of 18 who wish to apply for British Citizenship after being born in the UK, of a different nationality and have resided here for the first 10 years of their life without being absent from the UK for more than 90 days. If you are applying under this category your child must show that they meet all the requirements of the Immigration Rules and provide the relevant evidence. You will need to complete the T application form.
Registration as a Child Born in the to a UK Settled Parent (MN1) [Section 1 (3) of the British Nationality Act 1981]
This application is to be used by children under the age of 18 who wish to apply for British Citizenship as a child who was born in the UK and since their birth one of their parents has become settled in the UK (granted Indefinite Leave to Remain or Permanent Residency) or has become a British Citizen. If you are applying under this category your child must show that they meet all the requirements of the Immigration Rules and provide the relevant evidence. You and your parents must not have been absent from the UK (or the British overseas territories if appropriate) for more than 270 days during the 3 year residential period. There is no discretion to disregard absences greater than 270 days. You will need to complete the MN1 application form.