UK Passport / Citizenship

[stephenc]

Hoping for some clear advice here.

My wife is originally from New Zealand, has lived in the UK since 2002 and has an indefinite stay visa, has worked and paid taxes etc since 2002 also.

I'd like her to get a UK/EU passport as it's just easier when travelling around Europe.

Looking at the Government website it's a little confusing as to what exactly is involved and what the costs are.

Would appreciate some help and advice here.

Cheers, stephenc.

 

[qwerty321]

To my mind, it should just be a case of filling in form AN - it is a relatively straight forward application form. You can find details HERE. Once you fill that in and pay the fee, they will process it and then send you a letter to say that you can attend a citizenship ceremony with your local council. After that you can apply for the British passport.

Has your wife done the Life in the UK test? If not, she may have to do that.

The cost for the application is £1005 currently. If you have doubts, you can use Nationality checking service - GOV.UK to help you with the application. There may be a charge.

I'm just getting the money together for my Wife's application as well, got indefinite leave to remain last year and this is the final piece. Paid not far off £5k so far over the past few years!

 

[stephenc]

Thanks a lot. Had a look through all that and seems pretty straight forward. She needs to do the life in the UK test, which seems a bit daft as she's been living here for 13 years, but shouldn't be an issue. Our local council has an NCS, so we'll use that as it means not having to send off her NZ passport as we'll need that for holidays in France and Portugal next year.

So, once all this is done, then we'll apply for the UK passport. I guess this means she then has dual citizenship, both NZ and UK, and can pick and choose which passport to use etc.

Thanks again!

 

[hippo99]

She needs to do the life in the UK test, which seems a bit daft as she's been living here for 13 years, but shouldn't be an issue.

Remind her that it's called Marmite in the UK, not Vegemite

 

[GaryBritton]

I bet she's looking forward to the history part of the test.

Battle of Hastings - ten sexty sex

Great fire of London - sexteen sexty sex

 

[qwerty321]

Parts of the test I find are completely irrelevant. Like how is the fact that people in the Bronze Age lived in roundhouses of any use?!

 

[krish]

I bet she's looking forward to the history part of the test.

Battle of Hastings - ten sexty sex

Great fire of London - sexteen sexty sex

also need to recite the lyrics of Iron Maiden's Number of The Beast

 

[Sonic67]

Parts of the test I find are completely irrelevant. Like how is the fact that people in the Bronze Age lived in roundhouses of any use?!

It's part of our history and if you want to live here then it is part of the wider history of learning about where you are going to spend the rest of your life.

I learned about it and I live here. I also learned in Geography how an ox-bow lake was formed. In itself that has never been useful.

It's all part of studying, learning and the retention of knowledge. If you have passed the citizenship test, hopefully you feel a little prouder, stand a little taller and feel like you belong, or at least a little more than if no such test existed.

 

[qwerty321]

It's part of our history and if you want to live here then it is part of the wider history of learning about where you are going to spend the rest of your life.

I learned about it and I live here. I also learned in Geography how an ox-bow lake was formed. In itself that has never been useful.

It's all part of studying, learning and the retention of knowledge. If you have passed the citizenship test, hopefully you feel a little prouder, stand a little taller and feel like you belong, or at least a little more than if no such test existed.

I've been born and raised in the UK and a lot of it was new to me. I think it would be more relevant if more modern topics were used instead of some of the older stuff - not against the test itself as such.

 

[Sonic67]

You could say regarding History in general, what's the point in teaching at school? Why not just teach modern topics, it's more relevant. I think the thinking regarding history is it is what shaped us and it's what got us to where we are now. If nothing else there's always the default reason, "it's all about the learning and retention of knowledge".

 

[DOBLY]

NZ has it's own Marmite - disgusting stuff that is sweetened with sugar! The real UK Marmite is far superior.
The other problem is that NZ Marmite is made by a tax-dodging charity company owned by a religious group with murky intent.
As for Vegemite - that's Australian and plain gross.

Going back to passports, it's great to have both - you can choose the shortest (often no) queue at either end of the 24 hour journey.

 

[Trollslayer]

I bet she's looking forward to the history part of the test.

Battle of Hastings - ten sexty sex

Great fire of London - sexteen sexty sex

You're six mad!

 

[stuart07970]

Fun fun fun - ahhh brings back happy memories

Life in the UK test - £
ESOL B1 (unless she's exempt) ££
Apply for citizenship - ££££££
Interview with local borough council who will check your
application for a fee ££
Get citizenship
Take day off work and attend Citizenship Ceremony to pledge allegence to the queen (that'll root out the extremists!!!) and buy photos ££
Apply for passport and pay the post office to check it ££
Take day off work and attend interview at passport office miles away
Await delivery of passport.

Simples - you should have done it years ago
(It certainly would have been cheaper and easier!)

 

[rousetafarian]

Would this help?

http://www.nzembassy.com/united-kin...ited-kingdom/applying-for-british-citizenship