British Citizenship: changes to application process
EEA nationals planning to apply for British citizenship are advised to take note of the following policy revision which has recently come into force.
Since 12 November 2015, EEA nationals and their family members have been required to provide a permanent residence card (PRC) or a document certifying permanent residence (DPRC) when applying for British Citizenship. This proves that they are no longer subject to immigration time restrictions and therefore satisfy one of the main requirements of a British Citizenship application.
Where the required document was not presented in support of an application, the Home Office authorities previously applied an interim measure whereby the application was returned without consideration and all filing fees were refunded to the applicant.
With effect from 1 August 2016, however, such applications are no longer being returned and are instead undergoing the usual case consideration process.
Consequently, applications for naturalisation which fail to provide a PRC or a DPRC as evidence that the EEA national or their family member meets the requirement to be free of immigration time restrictions will now be considered by the Nationality Division of the Home Office, meaning that the application fees will no longer be refunded should the application be refused.
EEA nationals should therefore take considerable care when filing naturalisation applications and ensure that their application submission meets with current policy guidance.
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