british passport for baby

[karim27]

I am a tunisian national, living and working in the UK with ILR and waiting for citizenship application to be decided, was sumbitted late July.

my tunisian girlfriend is pregnant, baby is due in december.
I dont earn enough to meet fiance/spousal visa requirement at the moment so I am looking for other work. Will try visit visa for girlfriend but difficult.

I will go back for the birth and would like to know if I can I apply for british passport for my baby once he is born. My brother and cousin live here and in France so would like to travel with my child.

Thanks
Karim

[noajthan]

I am a tunisian national, living and working in the UK with ILR and waiting for citizenship application to be decided, was sumbitted late July.

my tunisian girlfriend is pregnant, baby is due in december.
I dont earn enough to meet fiance/spousal visa requirement at the moment so I am looking for other work. Will try visit visa for girlfriend but difficult.

I will go back for the birth and would like to know if I can I apply for british passport for my baby once he is born. My brother and cousin live here and in France so would like to travel with my child.

Thanks
Karim

It depends on 2 things:
a) if you are naturalised as a British citizen (BC) before baby is born;
b) where baby is born;

If you are naturalised as a BC & baby is born outside UK s/he is automatically British 'by descent';
If you are BC & baby is born in UK s/he is automatically British 'other than by descent';

If you are not yet naturalised when baby is born, & baby is born abroad, then the child and mother will have to come to UK at a later date and will both have to be settled in UK with iLR.

At that future date, (when both have ILR), there is an option to apply to register the child as British.
This may be done only at the discretion of the Home Secretary; (it is not automatic/guaranteed but it is possible).

[secret.simon]

a) if you are naturalised as a British citizen (BC) before baby is born;

To clarify Noajthan's point further, naturalisation means that you attend the citizenship ceremony and are given the naturalisation certificate. Just getting the letter from the Home Office stating that you have been successful in your application is not sufficient.

The child will automatically be British if s/he is born after the date of the naturalisation certificate.

As regards bringing the family to the UK, as you have family in France, you could look into bringing them to the UK via the Surinder Singh route. Search for it on Google and on these forums.