citizenship application form

[gibbage62]

Hi everyone
My wife will be applying for citizenship soon.No paper forms as the application is online however i found this one..

https://assets.publishing.service.go...m-an-06-20.pdf

i think it is for people applying from abroad it is a 32 page document i just wondered if it resembles the online form in size & content as i plan to work my way through it before filling in the online form.

So if anyone who has been through the citizenship process can have a look at it i would really appreciate it!
Thanks in advance
Regards
Gibbage

[Tom & Nok]

Hi gibbage

Nok submitted her online application last month and has a biometrics appointment shortly so I think we can help.

The online form layout fields are much the same as in the .pdf. As with SET(M) for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), you don't need to complete the online application at one sitting, so you can complete a section at a time and then return later on to carry on. We found the process very straightforward, and much of the information was easy to copy over from the copy of the SET(M) application which we kept.

Sort out the details for the two referees now to save time because you'll need to enter that information on pages 7 and 8 of the online application form: name, gender, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, profession, do they have a British passport (yes/no), passport number, and how they know the applicant.

[tudorowen1]

Are they still offering the choice of the IDV app for biometrics?..My wife used this and it was so easy to do..Citizenship ceremony scheduled for December..

[Tom & Nok]

Congratulations on your wife's successful citizenship application - it must be a fantastic feeling!

Nok used the IDV app back in August for her ILR (SET(M)) application. She also attended a free biometrics appointment at Croydon some 6/7 weeks later at the end of September as we'd heard absolutely nothing from UKVI. UKVI sent an email shortly after that appointment to confirm that she had been granted ILR. Nok hasn't received an invitation to use the IDV app again for her citizenship application and she has an appointment to give her biometrics in person (again) in a couple of weeks. It seems that the IDV app is now the main biometrics route for T4 Student Visa applications according to this 3rd November update from UKVCAS/Sopra Steria.

[gibbage62]

Hi Tom thanks for the reply & the information
.I am a bit worried by the employment section as my wifes situation is that she is self employed but works for someone.

We have filed tax returns since she started work but she has never actually paid tax.only national insurance as she doesn’t earn enough.
If they require a record of tax returns as supporting documents this could be a a problem as we have never received any from HMRC
Once again thanks for your help.
Regards
gibbage

[Tom & Nok]

Hi Tom thanks for the reply & the information
.I am a bit worried by the employment section as my wifes situation is that she is self employed but works for someone.

We have filed tax returns since she started work but she has never actually paid tax.only national insurance as she doesn’t earn enough.
If they require a record of tax returns as supporting documents this could be a a problem as we have never received any from HMRC
Once again thanks for your help.
Regards
gibbage

Hi gibbage

Don't worry. Nok is in a similar position as she earns below the PAYE threshold but pays NI in her part-time job.

The reason that UKVI asks for those employment details/financials is to help to verify that the applicant has been resident of good character in the UK for the required qualifying period (3 years if married to or in civil partnership with a UK or settled spouse/partner or 5 years otherwise) - see pages 37 and 38 of the guidance notes for UK citizenship (July 2020 edition):

"Applications made on the basis of residence in the UK

Evidence of lawful residence during the 5 years (or, if the applicant is married to or in civil partnership to a British citizen, 3 years) before the date of the application.

• Your passports
• If you are unable to provide your passport explain why and supply letters from employers (including start and finish dates), payslips, P60s, educational establishments or other government departments indicating the applicant’s presence in the United Kingdom during the relevant period.

If your passport is not stamped when you come into the United Kingdom, for example because you have a right of abode in the United Kingdom or you are a national of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” or Taiwan, you must provide your passport and also provide alternative evidence of residence as above. If you are an EEA national, you must additionally provide the information listed below".

This is very important for EU/EEA applicants for UK citizenship because it helps to prove evidence of the appropriate residence period in the UK because their passports are not stamped whenever they move within the EU/EEA and to/from the UK (until 31 December 2020). In the case of Thai passport holders, as non-EU/EEA applicants, their passports are stamped on every entry to the UK and on entry/exit to/from EU/EEA states. This is good evidence of determining qualifying residence in the UK.

The application form asks for your wife's NI number and, if applicable, tax office reference. Your wife's NI number will show that she has an NI contribution record. You write that tax returns have been filed. These and her NI contribution record are in her favour because they help to demonstrate her "good character" through paying her dues to UK society (page 26):

"Among the duties and obligations which you are expected to fulfil is payment of income tax and National Insurance contributions. We may ask H.M. Revenue & Customs for confirmation that your tax and National Insurance affairs are in order."

Hope this helps

Tom

[richardb]

Yep , it's just about declaring what you should be paying and are paying whatever is demanded ( good character requirement ). Richard

[gibbage62]

Hi tom
Once again thanks for the reply
if they only want my wife’s tax reference number & national insurance number that’s no problem. We might have a record of her annual submissions but that will be in her HMRC account.
thanks again for putting my mind at rest!
Regards
gibbage