EU citizen working in UK seconded to Australia
Dear Home Office,
I am an EU citizen living and working in the UK for the past 6 years. I understand that given my personal circumstances I can apply for British citizenship, however I have not applied yet.
I am currently working in a multinational company with UK head-offices and now considering to work on secondment in the Sydney office for the next 2 years.
Will being out of the country for such a long time (in secondment) affect my eligibility to apply for British citizenship?
Yours faithfully,
George
Dear George,
Thank you for contacting FOI Requests. Your original request of 25 January 2018 did not ask for recorded information and therefore did not meet the criteria for a valid request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Therefore, your email is being answered outside of the Act and you will receive a response in due course. As this is not a valid FOI request it is not subject to an Internal Review.
Below is a link to the ICO guidance for the criteria for valid requests under the Act:
https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...
Regards
N. McKenzie
Home Office
FOI Requests
Dear George
Thank your for your enquiry.
Depending on your current citizenship or nationality, you may be able to
apply in several ways. You should read the requirements for each type of
application that is relevant and decide which is best for you. If you are
unsure if you meet the requirements, you may want to take professional
advice from a solicitor or from an immigration adviser registered by the
Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).
You can apply for British citizenship by naturalisation if:
o you’re 18 or over
o [1]you’re of good character, e.g. you don’t have a serious or recent
criminal record
o you’ll continue to live in the UK
o you’ve [2]met the knowledge of English and [3]life in the UK
requirements
o you’ve been granted indefinite leave to stay in the UK (or permanent
residence if you’re an EEA national) - this means there’s no specific
date that you have to leave
o you [4]meet the residency requirement
And you must usually have:
o lived in the UK for at least the 5 years before the date of your
application
o spent no more than 450 days outside the UK during those 5 years
o spent no more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months
o been granted indefinite leave to stay in the UK (or permanent
residence if you’re an EEA national) - this means there’s no specific
date that you have to leave
o had indefinite leave to stay in the UK for the last 12 months (or
permanent residence if you’re an EEA national)
o not broken any immigration laws while in the UK
There are different requirements if your [5]spouse or civil partner is a
British citizen.
If you are a national of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA) or
Switzerland, or you are the family member of such a person, you will
automatically have permanent residence status if you have exercised EEA
free-movement rights in the UK for a continuous five-year period ending on
or after 30 April 2006. You do not need to apply for leave to remain. You
should have held permanent residence status for 12 months before you apply
for naturalisation.
Further information regarding naturalisation as a British Citizen can be
found at the following website links;
[6]www.gov.uk/becoming-a-british-citizen/how-to-apply
[7]www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-naturalise-as-a-british-citizen-form-an
Please note that as the onus is upon the individual to ensure that he/she
satisfies the requirements set out in the guidance material that
accompanies each and every application form, the Nationality Group is not
able to give, indicate or advise upon the outcome of any such application
prior to it being correctly submitted and being given full and careful
consideration. Therefore, you are advised to read through the guide prior
to submitting a future application.
Regards
M Goode
Central Correspondence Team
Customer Planning & Performance
Strategy, Transformation and Change
UK Visas and Immigration
[8]www.gov.uk/ukvi
We would like to hear about your experience and invite you to spend a few
moments completing this customer satisfaction survey:
[9]www.homeofficesurveys.homeoffice.gov.uk/s/108105TAZNG
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