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Naturalisation application supported ILR by paper letter and passport stamp (not eVisa)
Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2024 5:00 pm
by ic333
I'm in the process of applying for UK citizenship. I hold "indefinite leave to remain" via a home office letter and passport stamps only. Advice is that ILR's should be converted to eVisa by 1st January 2025, with paper-only no longer valid for travel. Will paper-only ILR continue to be accepted for naturalisation applications?
Re: Naturalisation application supported ILR by paper letter and passport stamp (not eVisa)
Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2024 5:08 pm
by contorted_svy
Yes it will be accepted. You still need to put in a NTL application to get an eVisa while your naturalisation application gets processed to prove your status before you become British. Naturalisation applications take up to 6 months generally.
Re: Naturalisation application supported ILR by paper letter and passport stamp (not eVisa)
Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2024 5:14 pm
by secret.simon
ic333 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2024 5:00 pm
I'm in the process of applying for UK citizenship. I hold "indefinite leave to remain" via a home office letter and passport stamps only. Advice is that ILR's should be converted to eVisa by 1st January 2025, with paper-only no longer valid for travel. Will paper-only ILR continue to be accepted for naturalisation applications?
It will be accepted, but you may also have to prove that you didn't lose your ILR by being absent from the UK for any continuous two year period. ILR (or indeed any leave) is lost automatically by any continuous absence from the UK of more than two years.
So you will likely need to show absence proof for longer than the five years period normally required for naturalisation.
Re: Naturalisation application supported ILR by paper letter and passport stamp (not eVisa)
Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2024 11:04 am
by ic333
Thank you. I don't plan to travel until I have citizenship and passport next year. If I do not apply for an NTL/eVisa, are there any broader implications other than being blocked from re-entering the UK on paper ILR?
Re: Naturalisation application supported ILR by paper letter and passport stamp (not eVisa)
Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2024 11:10 am
by alterhase58
Certainly not for naturalisation - the application is separate from immigration under nationality law.
An NTL application in parallel is under immigration rules.
Re: Naturalisation application supported ILR by paper letter and passport stamp (not eVisa)
Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2024 9:32 pm
by contorted_svy
ic333 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 08, 2024 11:04 am
Thank you. I don't plan to travel until I have citizenship and passport next year. If I do not apply for an NTL/eVisa, are there any broader implications other than being blocked from re-entering the UK on paper ILR?
If you need to show your right to live/work here you may encounter issues too, potentially. I would try to apply.