New citizenship form UKF

[CR001]

My timeline so far:

• Application sent: ~2 July 2018
• Application received/signed for at UKBA: ~4 July 2018
• Ceremony fee deducted: 18 July 2018
• Acknowledgement email received (with case number): 19 July 2018

• 28 July 2018 - Received biometrics letter
• 28 July 2018 - mailed TLSContact for appointment (as instructed in letter). No response.
• 2 Aug 2018 - mailed TLSContact for appointment (as instructed in letter). No response.

• 17 August biometrics appointment scheduled (finally!)
• 20 August biometrics submitted

• 29 October ACCEPTANCE LETTER RECEIVED!!!

So frigging happy right now!

Do I need to wait for citizenship ceremony before I can start applying for my passport?

Do you mean APPROVAL letter?

You are only British once you attend/complete your ceremony. You can't apply for a passport until you have your certificate which you get at the ceremony.

[PleasantThebest]

My timeline so far:

• Application sent: ~2 July 2018
• Application received/signed for at UKBA: ~4 July 2018
• Ceremony fee deducted: 18 July 2018
• Acknowledgement email received (with case number): 19 July 2018

• 28 July 2018 - Received biometrics letter
• 28 July 2018 - mailed TLSContact for appointment (as instructed in letter). No response.
• 2 Aug 2018 - mailed TLSContact for appointment (as instructed in letter). No response.

• 17 August biometrics appointment scheduled (finally!)
• 20 August biometrics submitted

• 29 October ACCEPTANCE LETTER RECEIVED!!!

So frigging happy right now!

Do I need to wait for citizenship ceremony before I can start applying for my passport?

Congrats did the letter come in the post? Also were your documents with your approval letter?

[mercuree]

OK So I realize that I do need my ceremony certificate to apply for passport. What I am slightly concerned about is that my acceptance letter states that the ceremony invite letter will be sent by the embassy.

Is this going to be my nearest embassy in SA? Which postal address would they use? My docs were delivered to my dad in the UK. Should I expect the letter to go to the same, all the way from SA? Or will it be sent via email?

[PleasantThebest]

OK So I realize that I do need my ceremony certificate to apply for passport. What I am slightly concerned about is that my acceptance letter states that the ceremony invite letter will be sent by the embassy.

Is this going to be my nearest embassy in SA? Which postal address would they use? My docs were delivered to my dad in the UK. Should I expect the letter to go to the same, all the way from SA? Or will it be sent via email?

If your approval letter came in the post, maybe there is some hope for the South African Post Office

I've seen other people in this forum receive emails from the embassy re. ceremony but if it is by post, I'd imagine it would go to the address specified in the application - i.e. your address that your approval letter was sent to. Disclaimer: don't take my word for it, I could be wrong, but would make sense.

[mercuree]

Do you mean APPROVAL letter?

I suppose. My application "was successful", pending the citizenship ceremony - yes.

Congrats did the letter come in the post? Also were your documents with your approval letter?

Thank you! Yes the letter was posted to my dad, in the UK (I used his address on the application). He called me to tell me that he had received it along with all of my supporting documentation (passport, birth certs etc.)


The letter states that my ceremony invite letter will be sent by "The British Embassy" Is this going to be my nearest embassy in South Africa? Which postal address would they use? My docs were delivered to my dad in the UK. Should I expect the letter to go to the same, all the way from SA? Or will it be sent via email? The acceptance letter has my home address on it.

[mercuree]

OK So I realize that I do need my ceremony certificate to apply for passport. What I am slightly concerned about is that my acceptance letter states that the ceremony invite letter will be sent by the embassy.

Is this going to be my nearest embassy in SA? Which postal address would they use? My docs were delivered to my dad in the UK. Should I expect the letter to go to the same, all the way from SA? Or will it be sent via email?

If your approval letter came in the post, maybe there is some hope for the South African Post Office

I've seen other people in this forum receive emails from the embassy re. ceremony but if it is by post, I'd imagine it would go to the address specified in the application - i.e. your address that your approval letter was sent to. Disclaimer: don't take my word for it, I could be wrong, but would make sense.

Ok. Good to know. Thanks. Nope. I have no hope for the south african postal system. I had two items sent to me from hong kong on the 2nd of july. One arrived last week after floating in customs for two months. The other only just "arrived at the sorting center" in JNB. Such a joke!

[PleasantThebest]

Do you mean APPROVAL letter?

I suppose. My application "was successful", pending the citizenship ceremony - yes.

Congrats did the letter come in the post? Also were your documents with your approval letter?

Thank you! Yes the letter was posted to my dad, in the UK (I used his address on the application). He called me to tell me that he had received it along with all of my supporting documentation (passport, birth certs etc.)


The letter states that my ceremony invite letter will be sent by "The British Embassy" Is this going to be my nearest embassy in South Africa? Which postal address would they use? My docs were delivered to my dad in the UK. Should I expect the letter to go to the same, all the way from SA? Or will it be sent via email? The acceptance letter has my home address on it.

Oh i see... ignore my other post. Not entirely sure.. i thought your approval came to SA but supporting docs were sent to your dad in the UK.. may need to contact HO then. Or the embassy. Could try the High Commission in Pretoria. They were pretty helpful when I had some inquiries

[sunburn]

I have just received an email inviting me to do the biometrics enrolment. I assume there must have been some sort of vetting of my application and documents before this and so I am curious about what getting the email implies about the progress of my application. Is it the case that my application was just initially viewed for the first time and that email sent since that is just the very first thing in the process ? Or have my application and documentation been reviewed and found acceptable and the biometrics a formality ? Or somewhere in between ? I know I need to just wait and see but really do want to know how much progress it is making. Any information is appreciated.

September 4 - Submitted application online
September 5 - Received acknowledgement email with case number in my spam folder
September 5 - Sent documents from USA
September 10 - Documents received in Liverpool
October 30 - Received email regarding biometrics enrollement

Thanks for posting this timeline. Mine was sent a few days after yours, though for UKM. I'm hoping I'll get my biometrics soon.

As to your other questions, I don't think anyone can conclusively state what happens between submission and acceptance. In the past, biometrics requests used to be sent out soon after submission, but now it seems most (online ?) applicants get biometrics about 2 months after submission, though there are cases that don't fit this timeline. As a result, I find it hard to conclusively assert anything.

[sunburn]

The letter states that my ceremony invite letter will be sent by "The British Embassy" Is this going to be my nearest embassy in South Africa? Which postal address would they use? My docs were delivered to my dad in the UK. Should I expect the letter to go to the same, all the way from SA? Or will it be sent via email? The acceptance letter has my home address on it.

Didn't the UKF application list a field asking you to enter the address of the nearest British consular mission or the one of your choice ? As I recall, both the paper and online versions of the UKM one did - I entered my nearest one (San Francisco), and they're the ones I'd expect to hear from when it comes to that.

[mercuree]

The letter states that my ceremony invite letter will be sent by "The British Embassy" Is this going to be my nearest embassy in South Africa? Which postal address would they use? My docs were delivered to my dad in the UK. Should I expect the letter to go to the same, all the way from SA? Or will it be sent via email? The acceptance letter has my home address on it.

Didn't the UKF application list a field asking you to enter the address of the nearest British consular mission or the one of your choice ? As I recall, both the paper and online versions of the UKM one did - I entered my nearest one (San Francisco), and they're the ones I'd expect to hear from when it comes to that.

Yeah I listed my nearest embassy. So Imagine they will post the letter to me here in SA as I gave my dad's address for documents to be returned from HO. But my home address is also listed. So will see.

Just worries me slightly. Our postal service is shockingly bad.

[KasMac]

@Kasmac: how did you contact them? Which e-mail did you send you inquiry to?

sorry haven't checked this page for a while email i used was this : furthernationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk

we are still waiting for our documents to be returned , south african post service is shocking i am hoping the envelope with my sons passport and all original birth certificates doesn't go missing...

Be sure to actually, physically, check at your post office. My dad sent me an item in June. Hoping it would arrive by my birthday; in September. I only got a letter that it had arrived yesterday. Went to collect. They returned to sender because I "took so long to" collect.

Thanks , have been checking weekly for the past month , my local post office ladies know me by now:)

My son's Registration Certificate arrived in the post , we found it in our residential letter box in Durban North on Tuesday 30th October !! 10 weeks after UKVI had posted it from Liverpool ( he is under 18 so no need for citizenship ceremony )

Now we are waiting to find out what happened with his supporting documents as his current passport and all birth certificates were in there and we need them to apply for his British Passport

[PleasantThebest]

sorry haven't checked this page for a while email i used was this : furthernationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk

we are still waiting for our documents to be returned , south african post service is shocking i am hoping the envelope with my sons passport and all original birth certificates doesn't go missing...

Be sure to actually, physically, check at your post office. My dad sent me an item in June. Hoping it would arrive by my birthday; in September. I only got a letter that it had arrived yesterday. Went to collect. They returned to sender because I "took so long to" collect.

Thanks , have been checking weekly for the past month , my local post office ladies know me by now:)

My son's Registration Certificate arrived in the post , we found it in our residential letter box in Durban North on Tuesday 30th October !! 10 weeks after UKVI had posted it from Liverpool ( he is under 18 so no need for citizenship ceremony )

Now we are waiting to find out what happened with his supporting documents as his current passport and all birth certificates were in there and we need them to apply for his British Passport

Congrats! 10 weeks -- damn shocking proof that our postal service are utterly incompetent. Let us know when you get the supporting documents back. I'm also worried about this... I'm over 18 so I'm stressed that I wont get the letter in time before I have to book a ceremony.. even worse, SA passport, birth certificates going missing pretty shabby of the HO to let this stuff going through ordinary post if the applicant lives overseas

[PleasantThebest]

@KasMac.. quick question. I looked at your timeline again and you mention that your son had his citizenship granted on 14 August? How did you find this out before receiving the registration certificate? Did you email them for an update?

[KasMac]

@KasMac.. quick question. I looked at your timeline again and you mention that your son had his citizenship granted on 14 August? How did you find this out before receiving the registration certificate? Did you email them for an update?

yes , i haven't heard from them for a loong time so emailed them to request an update and they said it was granted and they posted docs back to South Africa i have emailed them in July and they only responded
to me in August
the email address i have used was FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk

[KasMac]

Be sure to actually, physically, check at your post office. My dad sent me an item in June. Hoping it would arrive by my birthday; in September. I only got a letter that it had arrived yesterday. Went to collect. They returned to sender because I "took so long to" collect.

Thanks , have been checking weekly for the past month , my local post office ladies know me by now:)

My son's Registration Certificate arrived in the post , we found it in our residential letter box in Durban North on Tuesday 30th October !! 10 weeks after UKVI had posted it from Liverpool ( he is under 18 so no need for citizenship ceremony )

Now we are waiting to find out what happened with his supporting documents as his current passport and all birth certificates were in there and we need them to apply for his British Passport

Congrats! 10 weeks -- damn shocking proof that our postal service are utterly incompetent. Let us know when you get the supporting documents back. I'm also worried about this... I'm over 18 so I'm stressed that I wont get the letter in time before I have to book a ceremony.. even worse, SA passport, birth certificates going missing pretty shabby of the HO to let this stuff going through ordinary post if the applicant lives overseas

thanks we actually requested it was all posted back to our property in the UK that we have there yet they still sent here , i am grateful it wasn't stolen , they advised me today via email that supporting docs were sent there and my hubby going on business this week so hopefully h will bring it all back and we can start his passport application

[PleasantThebest]

@KasMac.. quick question. I looked at your timeline again and you mention that your son had his citizenship granted on 14 August? How did you find this out before receiving the registration certificate? Did you email them for an update?

yes , i haven't heard from them for a loong time so emailed them to request an update and they said it was granted and they posted docs back to South Africa i have emailed them in July and they only responded
to me in August
the email address i have used was FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk

Ok cool. Did you fill that form in and attach it when emailing FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk or did you just email them straight?

[KasMac]

@KasMac.. quick question. I looked at your timeline again and you mention that your son had his citizenship granted on 14 August? How did you find this out before receiving the registration certificate? Did you email them for an update?

yes , i haven't heard from them for a loong time so emailed them to request an update and they said it was granted and they posted docs back to South Africa i have emailed them in July and they only responded
to me in August
the email address i have used was FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk

Ok cool. Did you fill that form in and attach it when emailing FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk or did you just email them straight?

just emailed them straights and quoted my sons ref number and his name and DOB and described my query in the email

[AliSufii]

@KasMac.. quick question. I looked at your timeline again and you mention that your son had his

Ok cool. Did you fill that form in and attach it when emailing FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk or did you just email them straight?

May I ask please,
What form is this you are talking about?

I never heard about the form to fill before contacting HO?

Thanks

[PleasantThebest]

@KasMac.. quick question. I looked at your timeline again and you mention that your son had his

Ok cool. Did you fill that form in and attach it when emailing FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk or did you just email them straight?

May I ask please,
What form is this you are talking about?

I never heard about the form to fill before contacting HO?

Thanks

If you send an email to nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk you will receive an automated response with a bunch of information. In it, there is a Word document attached you can then fill in which you can then send to FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk if the automated reply doesnt answer your question.

[AliSufii]

Ok cool. Did you fill that form in and attach it when emailing FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk or did you just email them straight?

May I ask please,
What form is this you are talking about?

I never heard about the form to fill before contacting HO?

Thanks

If you send an email to nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk you will receive an automated response with a bunch of information. In it, there is a Word document attached you can then fill in which you can then send to FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk if the automated reply doesnt answer your question.

Aww, ok

Thank you

[PleasantThebest]

Just received a letter from my case worker confirming approval.. my documents were posted on 24 October.. lets hope my letter and supporting documents make it through the post

[basicdiagrams]

So I applied yesterday online, paid the 80GBP fee, and posted the documentation via DHL today. I sent the official copy of my birth certificate issued this year in which it is stated that the birth was registered in 1988 (the year of my birth) with my father's name included. In my country you can't obtain "original" birth certificate, but it is always the official copy of the entry in the registrar's book of births. Every subsequent change is noted in the official copy, so subsequent entry of my father's name to the entry of my birth would have been noted as such. So I'm hoping for the best, because I'm not sure if I could get the DNA test, since I'm not in contact with my father anymore...

Timeline

10/09/2018 applied online and paid the fee
10/09/2018 received payment confirmation email
11/09/2018 received an email stating my Case ID and notifying me my application is being considered
11/09/2018 sent documentation via DHL

@basicdiagrams - I am curious if you've had any additional contact since this post. I applied online and my timeline is similar to yours and have not had any email indicating that my documents were indeed received and application proceeding.

I have received a letter (by regular post) together with my passport last week, think it was Tuesday 02/10/2018 (dated 23/09/2018, guess they work on Sundays ). With my application I had sent them a cover letter explaining that I'd be needing my passport because of the nature of my work. In their cover letter they notified me that they have indeed received my application and that they will begin the processing as soon as possible, and also included tips on how to contact them in case I have additional questions. Basically they said not to call them on the phone, but to fax them or send them an email or regular post letter for urgent matters.

Updated timeline:

10/09/2018 applied online and paid the fee
10/09/2018 received payment confirmation email
11/09/2018 received an email stating my Case ID and notifying me my application is being considered
11/09/2018 sent documentation via DHL
12/09/2018 documentation signed for in Liverpool (info via DHL tracking service, no official acknowledgment from UKVI)
23/09/2018 Passport and UKVI cover letter sent from Liverpool
02/10/2018 Passport and UKVI cover letter received

New update:

15/11/2018 biometric enrolment letter received (by email)

I went to the VFS Global website as instructed in the letter and created an account, but to my shock there isn't a single European country in the list of possible VACs! How is this possible? Has anybody else had the same issue?

I can't travel to the UK within 30 days (which is the given deadline) because I need a visa which I would have to wait probably for more than 30 days, not to mention what the trip would cost me... I don't know what to do next. Any help is appreciated.

[alanwar]

@basicdiagrams - I do not have any specific answer for you about your biometrics but perhaps you can reply to the email and see if they respond, especially if the email was signed by a person and not autogenerated. In my case my biometrics letter (attached to an email) had an inconsistency and I replied to the email and got a prompt response. My appointment is scheduled for tomorrow so hopefully it will go well.

[CR001]

Kindly refrain from digging up topics that are 2 years old where members are no longer active.

There is NO requirement to send the receipt to HO. They receive your biometrics electronically.

After your biometrics were taken by the ASC in the USA, did any of you need to send the biometric receipt to a VFS Global office in New York ? I just completed mine today and was handed a document that said I needed to send the receipt (which was just the letter and the ASC stamps on it) and supporting documents including my passport, financial documents, sponsor, etc. It seems that I sent all of that with my UKF application and so do I just need to send the receipt ? Or do they need even more documents ? What did others do ?

Thank you,

Alan

[basicdiagrams]

@basicdiagrams - I do not have any specific answer for you about your biometrics but perhaps you can reply to the email and see if they respond, especially if the email was signed by a person and not autogenerated. In my case my biometrics letter (attached to an email) had an inconsistency and I replied to the email and got a prompt response. My appointment is scheduled for tomorrow so hopefully it will go well.

Thanks, I sent the mail with my inquiries to NationalityBiometricsOverseas@homeoffice.gov.uk, and I replied to the email with the biometric enrolment letter.

There is a TLS VAC in my country but I'm unable to contact them as they don't have any publicly displayed contact info (except for the contact form on their website, which deals with complaints about their service).

If anyone else had a similar issue please do respond here.