British Citizenship and Nationality

At OTS Solicitors we understand how important it is for our clients and their families to finally settle and make the UK their permanent home. If you are thinking of applying for British Citizenship, our Specialist British Citizenship team will provide the best immigration advice and representation to assist you to become a British citizen.

There are several ways to become a British citizen. Some individuals may be born as British citizens, other will need to be registered as British, but most commonly individuals that have resided lawfully and settled in the UK will need to apply for naturalisation as a British citizen.

Application for British Citizenship

If you have obtained Indefinite Leave to Remain, or permanent residence, you may be entitled to apply for naturalisation as a British citizen. This will be subject to meeting certain requirements such as your age, residence, character and assessments. Our team of immigration solicitors will assist you to show that you meet the following requirements:

You are over 18 years old at the point of applying
You will continue to live in the UK
You have passed the 'Life in the UK' Test
You will need to show that you have, as a minimum and depending on your immigration status resided in the UK for 5 years and in possession of ILR for at least 12 months
You will need to show that in the last five years you have not been outside the UK for more than 450 days and 90 days within the last 12 months
You have had indefinite leave to remain for the last 12 months
You will need to show that you have not broken any immigration laws in the UK
You are of a good character and sound mind

Life In The UK Test

All applications for naturalistation are subject to you having passed the ‘Life in the UK’ test and this will need to be evidenced as part of your application. We can advise and help you locate the appropriate test centre and to prepare for the test.

Windrush Generation

Our immigration lawyers have been at the forefront of managing the Windrush generation scandal, having assited a number of individuals and families and being called on by the media to provide further assitance and guidance to the wider public affected by the destructive nature of the Home Offices policies.

Our immigration lawyers and senior solicitors continues to work with clients that have faced the damaging consequences of the Home Office's hostile environment policy and its continued perseverence of bringing immigration figures down to tens of thousands. The scandal has shown that the Home Office continues to see many migrants as just numbers and not as hard working families and individuals who have contributed hugely to the wealth and culture of the country.

If you are a member of the Windrush generation, or require expert immigration advice, please contact our office for an appointment on 0203 959 9123.

Dual Nationality

In the UK, once you have obtained your British citizenship you will be entitled to hold both your British and any other nationality as a dual national. However, holding dual nationality is prohibited by some countries. Our Specialist British Citizenship team will assess if your country prohibits dual nationality, and we will assist you to contact your embassy or consulate to ensure that you do not stand to lose your citizenship following a successful application for British citizenship.

To discuss the requirement for British citizenship our Specialist British Citizenship team will be able to help you. Please contact the OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.

For a more detailed discussion regarding your case, or to book an appointment with a member of our Individual Immigration team, please call us now on 0203 959 9123

British Citizenship and Nationality Success Stories

OTS Major Success in application for British Citizenship

Our client, Dr W, is a Sri Lankan citizen. She came to the UK as a student and later on secured an Employment in the UK. Due to the nature of her Employment and the work she was carrying out, she had been required to travel and carry out work outside of the UK on regular basis. This had resulted in our client accumulating more absences from the UK than is acceptable under the residential requirement rules for the application for naturalisation as British Citizen.

Our client approached OTS Solicitors seeking advice on the requirements for naturalising as British citizen and the chances of success of such an application, considering her particularly difficult circumstances. After the initial consultation with Dr Lusine Navasardyan, where the client received comprehensive immigration advice on the requirements for naturalisation as British citizen and in particular, the points of difficulty of her case –the excess absences, our client was encouraged to apply for naturalisation. Our client was advised that there were arguments in support of her case and received a thorough explanation on how we intended to tackle all the issues in her application.

Grounds of a successful application

Upon the application being submitted, no issues were encountered in meeting the general requirements, except that in the last five years she had considerably more absences than the allowable amount. What was even more important, she had excessive number of absences in the last 12 months before the application. This would have usually resulted in an decision to refuse the application under Paragraph 4.1.2 of the Nationality Instructions, Annex B. However, we addressed this issue within our legal representations arguing the excessive absences where unavoidable due to the nature of her career, and that her work was extraordinary beneficial to the UK. We have relied on the desertion vested in the Secretary of the State to waive certain requirements to be met when applying for British Citizenship We further worked with the client to aid her in gathering the necessary evidential support for our arguments in the legal representations. On these grounds, and coupled with the appropriate evidence collated and presented within our representations, our client’s case for British Citizenship was successful.

This case was a success due to the application carried out by OTS lawyers

OTS Successful Court of Appeal Case: LD (Kenya) V Secretary of State for the Home Department [2014] EWCA Civ

Acting for Kenyan national in a Court of Appeal case in relation to a Human Rights Application on both Article 3 and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Appellant fears return on account of his imputed political opinion and a challenge has been mounted with a view to Ordering the Secretary of State to reconsider the Appellant’s Human Rights and Asylum protection claim and to make a new decision in the best interest of the Appellant’s British children in the UK. The proceedings have been settled and the Respondent Secretary of State has admitted to conceeding that the previous immigration Appeal hearing was decided in error of the law. The Home Office have therefore addmitted that the case should be sent back to the previous court and have also confirmed the evidence that should be considered which they nor the court considered in unfairly refusing the clients case the first time. Home Office has also agreed to pay client's full legal costs subject to review.

Your Questions & Our Answers about British Citizenship and Nationality

Dear Sir If someone from EU has the settled status how much time has to be stay in UK prior application in order to be qualified for citizenship? Thanks in advance, have a nice new year...

Thank you for your enquiry. There are various requirements which must be met when applying for British citizenship, therefore, we would advise that you arrange a consultation in order for us to confirm when you would be eligible to apply by calling 02039 599123. We look forward to hearing from you.