🇬🇧 Are you eligible for British Citizenship?

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It’s the ultimate goal – the British passport!

The journey takes time and money but isn’t worth it!  You may be just at the beginning of your ‘journey’ or you may be already on your way to Indefinite Leave. It is never too early to find out your rights and make a plan. 

Our short 5-point summary to get you started.

#1 Spouses of British citizens.

The process includes initial Spouse visa (30 or 33 months), then extension for further 30 months, then permanent residency after 5 years. You can apply for British Citizenship straight after that. Most common mistake: applying after 3 years of residency in the UK.


#2 European citizens and family members.

Firstly, you need to acquire a settled status - after 5 years in the UK. In most cases, you can apply for Citizenship 1 year after you have qualified for the settled status. Even if your settlement document was issued later, you can still apply for Citizenship 1 year after you ‘qualified’ for it. Most common mistake: not realising that settled status under the EU Settled Scheme isn’t the same as 5 years of qualifying for permanent residency under the pre-Brexit EU law. EUSS status is issued almost automatically if you have lived here for 5 years. For Citizenship, however, the authorities want to know what you were doing during those 5 years: working, studying etc. 

 
#3 If you already have Indefinite Leave or settled status.

You are only 1 step away from Citizenship! If you have Indefinite Leave to Remain, you need to wait for one year to apply for Citizenship. Unless you are married to a UK citizen, in which case you don’t need to wait. Unmarried partners have to wait for a year because they aren’t married. 

 
#4 If you have a visa that leads to Settlement.

You are getting there! Tier 2 General, Skilled Worker, Tier 1 Entrepreneur, PBS Dependant, Spouse/Partner visa, Ancestral, Hong Kong BNO, Private Life or a pre-settled status under EU Settlement Scheme. You need to secure Indefinite Leave, wait for another year and apply for Citizenship, as above. You may wish to read our A-Z Work visa summary page. 

 
 #5 If you have a visa that doesn’t lead to Settlement:

Your journey is going to be the longest! Examples of categories that don’t lead to settlement: Student visa, Graduate visa, the new High Potential Individual category, Tier 5 including Youth Mobility Scheme, Start-up Business, Global Mobility categories. Firstly, you need to switch to a visa category that leads to settlement, such as Skilled Worker or a Spouse/Partner visa, spend 5 years to secure permanent residency and then apply for Citizenship. You may find our Study - Work - Settle page useful.

 
If you are looking to apply for a U.K. visa or Citizenship - we are here to help. The best start is to book an online consultation on our website here. Our guidance and experience is going to increase your chances! As always, a consultation fee counts towards our full service! 


1st 4Immigration is one of the most experienced UK immigration law companies, OISC - accredited at the highest Level 3. We have been in business for over 12 years, our OISC reference is 200800152, in which 2008 stands for the year accreditation. Office: Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1HN. 

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