Hi everyone! I currently have applied to register as a British Citizen, but the process has been quite frustrating so far, and I was wondering if anyone had any similar experiences or know of someone who has?
A little bit of a background on me and my application: I have BN(O) nationality and was born to a British father in Hong Kong before the handover (and yes my parents were officially married). Now as BNO nationality is barely recognised anywhere anymore, I want to convert to a full nationality. I do not qualify for a HKSAR passport as I don't have Chinese nationality and do not qualify for it (both my parents are non-Chinese and I don't have sufficient knowledge of the place nor language). It's only logical that I apply for UK citizenship as I'm already partly there (I mean, British National Overseas, has British father, born in a then-economy, can't get any simpler than that, right?). If I can't get UK citizenship, I'd be stateless.
So in early June of this year (2015), I apply to register using the form EM and my connection to Hong Kong. (https://www.gov.uk/register-british-ci ... hong-kong). I read all the guidance notes back to front and on some issues I was unsure about I called up the Home Office and a rep answered the questions for me. Eg. At the time of application I was a student in the UK, but my "ordinarily residence" was in Hong Kong. The rep on the phone said it was better to send my application to the UK office instead of waiting until I got back to Hong Kong as the applications get processed in the UK anyway.
Now there are 2 ways of submitting an application - 1) Online and mail the supporting documents or 2) Mail both the application and supporting documents together. I thought that the online method would be more secure so I went with option 1. Now when you finish your application, you have the option to preview it. I was going to mail a copy of my application with my supporting documents anyway, but in the preview, it was clearly watermarked all over the pages in big bold letters DO NOT PRINT DO NOT PRINT DO NOT PRINT. Here I really hesitated and wanted to print it out anyway, but I didn't want to peeve anyone off by not following such clear instructions so I don't. I complete the online application and pay. I get a reference number as well as a confirmation email of payment with a payment reference number, but not a confirmation email for the application. However, I thought it might have been the norm so I don't think much to it. I mail off the supporting documents the same day.
Fast forward 5 months when my student visa is about to expire and I'm thinking of perhaps getting a job. When you've got an application pending, you're allowed to live and work in the UK, but since there's no confirmation from the Home Office yet, employers can use the Employer Checking Service online to see if the employee has an application in. My employer tries this and mine comes back negative.
I chase up with the Home Office about my application and they're having trouble finding it - they ask me for all the reference numbers, to which I give the application reference, the payment reference and the tracking number of the parcel containing the documents. They return my supporting documents with a hand-written note (no official letter-heading) asking for more reference numbers - despite the supporting documents having a printout of my confirmation of payment with both the payment and reference numbers! They claim to have tried contacting me through email and phone but this is false as I have not received a phone call nor email from them (I even checked the spam mail). It's starting to look quite dodgy and my friends are asking me whether I sent it to a legit place and not some phished fake, but it is indeed real. But somehow they had my payment and supporting documents but no application? Which begs the question, where did the application go?
Fortunately (or unfortunately) for them, I saved a copy of my application in the interactive pdf format, and send it over. They then try to tell me that I am ineligible for citizenship as I do not have ILR. This was never stated as a requirement in the guidance notes and after consulting an immigration specialist I am correct and I tell them this. I'm now waiting to see what excuse they'll try to give me next. All this, but they still didn't solve the mystery of where the application went. I even overhead them say they were unfamiliar with the online application system when I was on the phone to them. Did something happen to my application? Or is it a blip in the online system and my application was collateral damage?
I understand it's not an easy job to do and they must be hounded all day with application claims, but I really thought it would be a straightforward case, especially with my Hong Kong link and British ancestry. My paternal roots go way back in Britain, and my grandfather even fought on behalf of Britain in the war. If I don't qualify as British, then what am I?
Sorry for the rant and thank you for reading this far. If you could shed some insight or know anyone who went through something similar, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.
- FAQ
- Login
- Register
- Call Workpermit.com for a paid service +44 (0)344-991-9222
