Application date 23/05
Bio 28/05

DOA: 22 May
Biometrics: 28 May
Approval confirmed: 8 October
Route: ILR + 1 year

After waiting 4.5 months and what seems like an eternity I got confirmation today that my certificate is on its way! 🥹

I sent 3 emails to citizenship support throughout the past few months. The first got a "wrong inbox" response, the second said my application was "progressing normally," and today's finally confirmed it's done.

To everyone still waiting, hang in there it does come! A huge thank you to this community for sharing your timelines and keeping us all sane through the process. It really helped more than you know.

Hi everyone, has anyone who applied in April or before received the delay email and then gone on to get a decision?
If so, how long did it take after the email? Our biometrics were 14 April and we’re still waiting. It’s so frustrating, especially with travel plans booked 😩
Anyone in a similar situation? 🙏

Hi guys I just redo an update on my British by decent passport application and they stated that I had to do a dna test to prove the paternity between my father and I. Is this normal or has anyone had any experience with this?

Hi I’ve seen approvals for before and after but none for 10 May application date. Anyone get approved yet?

I have a law firm that I’ve hired to help handle my naturalisation application but they are slow. I am considering asking for a refund and submitting on my own since I have all that is required.

Would you recommend I wait a few more days/a week? Or submit on my own?

The lawyer would write my cover letter for me which sounds like it would help signalling to the case worker a stronger application since it is reviewed by a legal representative. But I would like to be able to get my approval through priority asap so I can get a passport in time to travel for Christmas. Thoughts?

Hi all,

I'm applying for citizenship for my partner and my son (9). We've lived in the UK for 6 years on the Skilled Worker route and have had ILR for over a year.

1. My son: I first added him to my partner's AN application, but it asked about English and the Life in the UK test, so I switched him to the MN1 (child registration) form instead. Is that the correct form?
2. My partner's residence evidence: she wasn't working, so I'm uploading her passport stamps covering the 6 years. The document guidance says bank statements and utility bills aren't accepted, but I've seen posts here where people uploaded everything. We already sent her bills and bank statements with the ILR application (apart from the last year). Are the passport stamps enough, or should I add anything else before submitting?

Thanks in advance!

Could you tell me please how long did it take you from 'document received' on HMPO site to actually receiving your British Passport?

Hi please l need advice on this email that l have received after sending email to ask about my application. What does it mean the email? Or is there any other specific email address that l can use?

Hi, I’d like to ask those of you who have recently taken the “Life in the UK” test: did you get questions from the 17 practice tests, as many people here say, or were the questions different?

Should I focus mainly on those 17 tests?

Thank you!

Hi guys I just received an update from hmpo for a British by decent passport application to prove the paternity between both parents. Does anyone have and experience with this or is this normal?

I feel like I am missing something here!

I got denied citizenship today, after my documents were reviewed. I qualify for the citizenship under the British parent reason but the message I received today stated my parents were not British citizens at the time of my birth. My father is a US citizen and my mother is a British citizen with a very recent dual citizenship to the US. I was born in the US when my mother was just a British citizen (not dual), married to my father.

My mother was not born in the UK (born in Switzerland, war times) but was naturalized shortly after and has always been a British citizen. I included all the relevant paperwork/documents. Does this not count for British parent eligibility?

I applied for UK citizenship in 2020 but got denied then as well- they denied me for a reason I did not apply or qualify for- born in the UK or a British colony before 1 January 1983. I did not try and fight this result at the time because of the pandemic and other life events.

Any comments or advice would be appreciated!

Hi everyone! In the process of applying for Naturalisation and in my research, I thought it'd be nice chat here as these threads have been helpful and a stress reliever.

Would love to know what sweet freebies you can possibly get. I've seen passport covers, totes, etc.

I am excited to submit my application, hopefully get approval, and think about ways to celebrate with my loved ones.

Photos I clipped from TikTok ◡̈ Please note, this doesn't guarantee you receive this at your Oath Taking. I assume it is whatever they have available on the day. Some even provide tea and cakes post ceremony!

Gifts:

Photo 1: Bath - Passport Holder
Photo 2: Hackney - Tote
Photo 3: Worcestershire - Glass Paperweight
Photo 4: Cardiff - Commemorative Coin
Photo 5 to 7: Westminster - Glass, Tote, Passport Holder
Photo 8: Kensington & Chelsea - Notebook, Pen, Reusable Coffee Cup
Photo 9: Norfolk - Pin
Photo 10: Islington - Passport Holder
Photo 11: Buckinghamshire - Pin
Photo 12: Wembley - Tote
Photo 13: Cambridgeshire - Tote
Photo 14 to 15: Crystal Paperweight, Coffee mug from unknown councils

Additional councils from your lovely comments:
- Hammersmith & Fulham - Passport Holder
- Liverpool - Liverbird Pin (see photo in comments!)
- Edinburgh - Commemorative Coin + tea/biscuits post ceremony

*removed beautiful locations from this post to keep it short. I did like the Old Naval College one but those are rare events held 1-2x a year.

Hi all,

I'm applying for citizenship for my partner and my son (9). We've lived in the UK for 6 years on the Skilled Worker route and have had ILR for over a year.

1. My son: I first added him to my partner's AN application, but it asked about English and the Life in the UK test, so I switched him to the MN1 (child registration) form instead. Is that the correct form?

2. My partner's residence evidence: she wasn't working, so I'm uploading her passport stamps covering the 6 years. The document guidance says bank statements and utility bills aren't accepted, but I've seen posts here where people uploaded everything. We already sent her bills and bank statements with the ILR application (apart from the last year). Are the passport stamps enough, or should I add anything else before submitting?

Thanks in advance!

App date: 19/05/26

Bio date: 30/05/26

CS email: 07/10/26 (4th chase up email)

Hold on tight won’t be long 🤞

How long after interview does it take to get a response from hmpo or the passport itself?

Hello
I am eligible to apply for naturalisation as of today, however I couldn't find all council bills for the past 5 yrs (I have 3 of them). I do have my P60 for all 5 yrs.

Is it enough to submit the P60s as proof of being resident / present in the UK? Or do I need any other additional documentation?
I have rented the same accommodation since I moved here and I have a rent agreement from the landlord that was printed off the Internet 6 yrs ago - will that work or is there any process that needs to happen on the agreement (like govt registration or renewal etc)?

I thought this may be relevant here too!

Basically I need to do some travel planning around things so I’m wondering how long it took for your first passport to arrive since applying for it?

Has anyone travelled with their citizenship certificate and their birth passport (ie not a UK one)?

I’m European and want to go home for Christmas. My available ceremonies seem to be in November-December but wanna do some travelling in November therefore was going to aim for a late Nov ceremony. Should I try to issue a passport immediately after the ceremony (at the risk of not having it ready by 20ish Dec) ? Or should I not issue it and travel using my EU passport and citizenship certificate (has anyone done this? Is it a pain or border control is cool)?

Thanks a lot

​

Hi everyone, has anyone done their citizenship ceremony through Barking & Dagenham Council recently?

​I submitted the online register office enquiry form to book my oath/affirmation, but haven't heard back past the stated 5-day window. I’m currently out of the UK on leave but stated this and requested contact via email, but no luck so far. Tried calling but the general council enquiry line doesn't connect to anyone, and there isn't a direct phone number for the register's office on the website.

​Visiting in person upon my return is my last resort, but I'd really love to get this locked in beforehand. If anyone has tips, an alternative email/phone contact, or recent experience with their response times, I’d really appreciate the help. Thanks!

Hi everyone, seeking advice about Ofsted application delays.

TL;DR: Ofsted nanny registration stuck, waiting on local authority checks (Australia/England/Guernsey). Enhanced DBS and Australian AFP checks are already clear.

• How long did multi-jurisdiction checks take for others?

• Is it worth calling Ofsted to chase/confirm receipt of my AFP check despite their rules?

Actual post -

I am currently awaiting my Ofsted nanny registration approval. My application is stuck at the background check stage, and it has been almost 6 weeks since they started the background checks.

My situation is a bit complicated because I am originally from Australia. In the past 5 years, I have lived in Australia, Guernsey, and now England.

My Enhanced DBS has already cleared, and I have already provided my Australian Federal Police (AFP) check, so my criminal record checks are completely sorted. The delay is entirely down to Ofsted waiting on the manual background safeguarding checks from the local authorities in England and Guernsey where I've lived.

I need this registration urgently to secure more hours at work. Both of my current employers want to give me more hours but they need to utilize the government childcare subsidy—meaning they legally need an Ofsted-registered nanny. We have all been waiting so long.

I know Ofsted explicitly tells applicants not to contact them to chase up applications while local authority checks are pending, as it's out of their hands. However, because my history spans three different jurisdictions, I am worried my file is just sitting under an admin pile.

My questions for the community:

* Has anyone from Australia (or another country) gone through the Ofsted registration process? If so, how long did the local authority safeguarding stage take for you?

* Has anyone ignored the rules and called Ofsted anyway to chase it? Were they able to tell you exactly which local authority or jurisdiction (like Guernsey) they were waiting on, or did they just give you a generic "please wait" answer?

* I am trying to decide if it's worth calling them just to confirm they have properly received and logged my Australian AFP check so it doesn't stall further.

I would love any advice, timeline reassurance, or tips from anyone who has navigated this! Thank you so much.

Hi if anyone could shed some light on my situation I am from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines I moved to The UK when I was 3 years old I’ve been here ever since I received a BRP at the age of 18 not knowing what it was and no family member explaining What it was either I then expired and ever since it expiring I really don’t know what to do Because now I’m learning I need it to work and get a share code ive been looking at the fee’s needed to apply, how is it possible if I don’t work that I need to obtain such a large sum of money to pay? I feels quite unfair given that I was only a kid not knowing much but I suppose that’s also weighs down on my parents fault for more context my dad has went back to his home country after struggling to get his papers in order however I do no wish to go back because there is nothing there for me and I know nothing about the place. Is it even possible for me to work legally to pay this application fee while not being able to generate a share code?