EU citizen/EEA National applying for British Citizenship

[Sirithaniel]

Hi

I was born in Belgium and moved to England on 06/10/2007 I have been here ever since barring some short holidays. I have been working since 03/03/2008 barring a short break in between jobs. I did not study here at all.

I wish to apply for British Citizenship and I understand most of what is required for this however one part puzzles me.

I know the AN form asks for a Permanent Residence Card number, which I do not have and have not needed until now.

I thought submitting the EEA QP would get me this card but now I'm not so sure. It should get me a registration certificate but is this the same as the permanent residence card? Will it give me the number I need? Has anyone done this successfully?

If not, do I somehow fill in the EEA PR form ? I see that already in section 1 I need to decide whether
I am an EEA national and I'm applying for a document certifying permanent residence or
I am a non EEA national and i'm applying for a residence card.

Clearly i'm both and neither since I am an EEA national applying for a permanent residence card?

Would the permanent residence certificate contain the number I need? is this certificate different from the residence certificate obtained using the QP form?

Do I need a sponsor?

Do they really need to know the details of every single trip I have taken out of the country since I came to this country? No matter how short?

Do you send them all sections of the form or only the sections that are applicable?

Do they really need evidence that you were looking for work when you weren't working? Even if I did not claim any jobseeker allowance?

Do I need to provide evidence of self sufficiency? i. e . bank statements?

Are there any government officials you can contact with questions about the form?

Can the EEA PR be submitted in person at the premium service centre in Croydon?

I read that this premium service is free for EU citizens, is this correct?

Do you get the card on the same day?

Can I apply for citizenship as soon as I get the card assuming I have completed the AN form and have the necessary documents?

Thank you in advance for your time.

[LilyLalilu]

You need to apply for a Document Certifying Permanent Residence (form EEA PR), the card is for non-EEA nationals.

If the form is too complicated for you, just use form EEA3 or apply by letter if you like - links to the EEA3 form are in other forum posts, best to use the search.

You need to provide evidence that you have exercised your treaty rights for 5 continuous years, either as a worker, job-seeker, self-sufficient or student. If you were self-sufficient or a student at any point during your qualifying years, you will need to show that you held CSI during this time (or a non-UK EHIC).

Do I need a sponsor?

No, apply in your own right.

Do they really need to know the details of every single trip I have taken out of the country since I came to this country? No matter how short?

Pretty much yes. If you really can't remember or put your trips together by looking through old flight tickets/email reservations, just state that you can't remember all trips but that none of them was >6months/year. If you intend to apply for BC one day, you will however need a comprehensive list of all absences, so better to start piecing them together now.

Do you send them all sections of the form or only the sections that are applicable?

Only the applicable sections.

Do they really need evidence that you were looking for work when you weren't working? Even if I did not claim any jobseeker allowance?

If you were a job seeker then yes.

Do I need to provide evidence of self sufficiency? i. e . bank statements?

If you were self-sufficient then yes. Evidence of sufficient funds (e.g. bank statements) and CSI (or non-UK EHIC) is needed.

Are there any government officials you can contact with questions about the form?

They have a helpline but you'd rather not speak to them, they are know for giving inaccurate advice...

Can the EEA PR be submitted in person at the premium service centre in Croydon?

No, postal only, there is no premium service for EEA nationals applying for a DCPR.

The application for a DCPR is really quite easy, you just need to do your research before applying. Best to read EEA PR guidance notes and then do a few practice runs with whichever form you decide to apply on (either EEA3 or EEA PR). The most important part is to send them unimpeachable evidence of having exercised your treaty rights for 5 continuous years + proof of residence for those years.

[Sirithaniel]

Hi

Thank you so much for your detailed response.

Its really comforting to know that there will be a number on the permanent residence certificate that I can use for the AN application. You never know with all these slightly differing terms.

I just thought it was strange of them to ask for information of when you have been abroad since you came to this country since the AN form only asks for this information for the last five years.

And it seems odd that they would need evidence that I was looking for work when I didn't apply or receive any jobseeker allowance. I was looking for work yes but I wasn't a jobseeker in that respect.

For the employment evidence. Are P60s sufficient or do you need P60s, wage slips, and letters from employers?

What does the form mean by being Self-sufficient? My partner and I pay bills jointly.

[britkiwi]

The forms change all the time- it's best to check back when you've filled one out for practice and see if it's still current.

AS for employer evidence I suggest:

Letters for current and former employers/Contracts of employment
P60s
Payslips

An employment history from HMRC- you can call them or write to them to request this- it can take some time so request one early

I would also suggest a record of National Insurance Contributions - you can get that from HMRC as well.

The more evidence you have the better!

[erikab]

I called the immigration office to inquire, been told that have to stay 12 months with the permanent residence document before applying for naturalisation, regardless how many years prior you have stayed and worked.

[dandodex]

I called the immigration office to inquire, been told that have to stay 12 months with the permanent residence document before applying for naturalisation, regardless how many years prior you have stayed and worked.

Which is not true. You need the 5 qualifying years to end a year before you apply for naturalization.

Someone wisely earlier advised to NOOOOT call the helpline. They are liars.

[Wanderer]

I called the immigration office to inquire, been told that have to stay 12 months with the permanent residence document before applying for naturalisation, regardless how many years prior you have stayed and worked.

Which is not true. You need the 5 qualifying years to end a year before you apply for naturalization.

Someone wisely earlier advised to NOOOOT call the helpline. They are liars.

Not so much liars, just they are as thick as a Whale Omelette....

[Casa]

A excellent example from Freemovement:
https://www.freemovement.org.uk/immigra ... pectation/

[Sas Sam]

I called the immigration office to inquire, been told that have to stay 12 months with the permanent residence document before applying for naturalisation, regardless how many years prior you have stayed and worked.

Which is not true. You need the 5 qualifying years to end a year before you apply for naturalization.

Someone wisely earlier advised to NOOOOT call the helpline. They are liars.

As far as I know even if you have 5 cont. years, you must have 12 months of PR status.

https://www.gov.uk/becoming-a-british-c ... -can-apply

You have to apply for PR Card (doesn't matter if you are EU or non-EU national) and then when you get the Card, you have to ask your PR Status start date from HO (or via SAR). From that date you have to hold the status for 12 months and then you can apply for citizenship.

This was my case too... Maybe the rules are changed since then (I doubt)...

[noajthan]

Hi

Thank you so much for your detailed response.
...

I just thought it was strange of them to ask for information of when you have been abroad since you came to this country since the AN form only asks for this information for the last five years.

And it seems odd that they would need evidence that I was looking for work when I didn't apply or receive any jobseeker allowance. I was looking for work yes but I wasn't a jobseeker in that respect.

For the employment evidence. Are P60s sufficient or do you need P60s, wage slips, and letters from employers?

What does the form mean by being Self-sufficient? My partner and I pay bills jointly.

Jobseeker and selfsufficient are two types of qualified person status which are 2 of the 5 ways to acquire PR.
Whatever category (categories) you happen to fall into you will need rock-solid evidence to back your case.

Questions on absences in the context of DCPR are to see if you've broken continuity of residence and/or to see if you've lost PR even after you've acquired it.

There are 2 completely different sets of regulations based on different legislative frameworks - EU law and UK law.
The requirements on residency, absences etc differ for both.
Don't assume you will be rubber-stamped and waved through for the privilege of citizenship just because you have DCPR.

[ohara]

You have to apply for PR Card

I think it is important to use the correct terminology here so as not to confuse the OP.

EEA nationals are no longer issued a permanent residence card. They are issued a document certifying permanent residence. Whilst it is essentially the same thing, the two things look vastly different.