To be eligible for British citizenship and a UK passport, you will first need to get permanent residency. For non-EU citizens, this is known as indefinite leave to remain. If you’re an EU citizen, you’ll need to apply for either pre-settled or settled status on your journey to gaining British citizenship.
If you are planning to stay in the UK for longer than six months you have to apply for your biometric residence permit (BRP) as part of your visa application. If you move to the UK and end up switching visas you can also apply for your BRP from within the UK.
The biometric residence permit acts like an identity card to help migration officers confirm your identity and visa status. Once you are settled in the UK, you can also use your BRP to confirm your identification. You will need this card for your UK citizenship through naturalisation application, so it is part of the long process of becoming a permanent resident in the UK.
BRP cards will include:
It may also include:
If you are applying for your UK visa whilst still in Australia, and plan to stay in the UK for more than six months, you are going to need to go to a VFS Global visa application centre to get your biometric information taken and submitted to the UK Home Office.
To find your nearest UK visa application centre visit the VFS Global website.
If your visa application is successful, you will be issued with a vignette in your passport covering the first 30 days in the UK. The Home Office will issue you with a letter covering all the collection details for your BRP card. You are expected to collect your BRP within 10 days of arriving in the UK, as it will be the only proof of your status and entitlements after their 30-day vignette expires.
Please note: If, due to self-isolation and Covid-19, you are unable to collect your BRP, the post office will hold your BRP for 90 days. You must finish your self-isolation first and late collection will not affect your visa status.
The biometric residence permit processing time varies between one and four months.
If you need to receive your response in a shorter period, you can pay an extra £800 for the priority service.
If you are a resident returning to the UK after a long absence, your BRP can prove your eligibility for your Resident Return Visa application.
You can gain British citizenship in the following ways:
British citizenship gives you the right to live and work in the UK permanently, without any immigration restrictions.
Based on the British Nationality Act, those who wish to apply for naturalisation must meet the following requirements:
To qualify for British citizenship, you must demonstrate your “good character”. This means that you must not hold any severe nor recent criminal records. The Home Office will also review any criminal offence committed overseas and UK immigration-related issues. There are several other good character requirements you need to meet, such as lack of traffic offences or filing for bankruptcy. You can see a full list of good character requirements here.
As a married partner of a UK citizen, you can apply to become a naturalised citizen of the UK as soon as you have received your ILR, as long as you have been in the UK legally for three years on a valid visa.
To apply:
*If any of these timelines have been affected by the global pandemic, Covid-19, this will serve as a compelling reason for the exception and will be accepted by the Home Office.
You’ll need to make a separate application for your child.
If your child is under 18 years old, you can apply to register them as British citizen. Registering is a way of applying for British citizenship.
The application process is easier for children – they don’t have to:
When applying for British citizenship, it is essential to prepare an adequate portfolio of documents to demonstrate that you meet all the residency requirements. This will help the Home Office evaluate your case and speed up your processing time.
These are the documents that you must send to the Home Office when applying for British citizenship:
If your citizenship application is successful, you will need to attend a citizenship ceremony. The individual receiving citizenship is required to attend the ceremony by law. At this ceremony, you’ll make an Oath of Allegiance to the UK, promising to respect the rights, freedoms and laws. Then you will be presented with your certificate of British citizenship.
You do not automatically get a British passport after gaining citizenship. Once you have your naturalisation certification, you can use this to apply for a British passport.
You will also need a countersignature to confirm your identity, a digital photo and supporting documents.