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lana777 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 2:53 pmHi, I am married to a British citizen, I’ve got ILR and now applying for British citizenship. I’ve got some questions regarding filling in the application form and documents required, could anyone knowledgeable help me with my questions please?
1/ Regarding referees:
How should I answer the question in the application form: ‘How does the referee know the applicant?’ Both of my referees are my friends for more than 10 years - should I say that ‘we are friends’? Or anything else?
My both referees are British, one of them is a teacher/Head of department in a college, and second referee is an office clerk – I hope they are both OK, satisfy HO requirements? Friend is OK. Your referees seem fine.
2/ Regarding my employment: one of the required documents I need to provide is my ‘most recent tax year account statement and corresponding HMRC tax return as proof of self-employment’.
Well, I’ve been self-employed for the last 9 years, working as a part-time private tutor, but I never earned enough to pay any tax, always been earning below tax threshold (personal allowance). However, I have always been voluntarily paying national insurance contribution (NIC) for all these years. But, for some strange reason (they’ve changed something in their system) last year (which ended 5/04/23) HMRC didn’t even give me an option to pay voluntary NIC.
So, regarding this ‘recent tax year account statement’ that HO require: when I go to my HMRC online account, enter my UTR to get into my profile, I can see that there is an option 'View statements'. When I click on it - nothing is happening, the message on the screen is saying 'You do not have any statement information to view'. Is it because I haven't been earning above personal allowance and didn’t pay tax?
As I don’t have any account statements, I have downloaded the file 'Tax year overview' for the tax year ending 5 Apr 2023, but it shows lots of zeros in it: tax = 0; surcharges = 0; total = 0.
Will such document satisfy HO? Or I need to submit anything else? Maybe I should submit my tax return 2023? Or, I can also submit my National Insurance record file, where they can see that I’ve been paying NIC? Any advice, please? You need to submit your tax report for 2023 and download the SA302 and full tax return. doesn't matter if you've never earned enough to pay taxes.
3/ Section 'Immigration details'
Question in the form: 'Have you made any previous UK immigration applications in the UK or abroad?'
I have made quite a few immigration applications, so I've entered approximate dates (month and year) of such applications, based on my previous visas’ information.
But they are also asking question for each application 'Were your fingerprints taken as part of this application?'
For some applications - where I surely remember my fingerprints were taken - I've answered 'Yes'. But there are some occasions where I just don't remember whether my fingerprints were taken or not after I submitted my application... In total, I've made 8 immigration applications during my stay here in the UK, for nearly 20 years - so, I just can't recall this fact with fingerprints! So what should I say there? Either answer yes or no might be wrong for some of these applications! Provide details at the best of your recollection and state this in a cover note. If you want to reconstruct your history you can try a SAR and see if you can reconstruct more details.
Thank you very much in advance!!!
Just upload it by yourselves when you book your biometric appointment. If you want UKVCAS centre to scan and upload it for you, you have to print it out. They don't accept digital files, including by email or in a USB drive.lana777 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 7:25 pmThank you very much for your prompt reply!
I've got another question - about uploading my documents after I submit my application.
If I choose to use Sopra Steria to upload my documents: my tax return is a 16 pages pdf document, then does it mean that I need to print out these 16 pages, and Sopra Steria officers will scan them to make a pdf file again – doesn’t make sense, to be honest! Is it a way so that I could take a memory stick with me to the appointment, with my tax return pdf file on it, and Sopra Steria will upload this tax return pdf document from my memory stick? Or is there any other way - e.g., is there an option so that I could email Sopra my tax return pdf file?
Thank you very much! I really appreciate your help!
Kind regards,
Svetlana
They don't accept any device, the service only to scan your paper documents etc.alterhase58 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 7:33 pmHave you actually booked the chargeable scanning service? You can upload free yourself on your account.
Not aware of them accepting files on a memo stick - organisations would/should be very wary of connecting external devices to their system (in my working life I have refused such requests....).
lana777 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 7:25 pmThank you very much for your prompt reply!
I've got another question - about uploading my documents after I submit my application.
If I choose to use Sopra Steria to upload my documents: my tax return is a 16 pages pdf document, then does it mean that I need to print out these 16 pages, and Sopra Steria officers will scan them to make a pdf file again – doesn’t make sense, to be honest! Is it a way so that I could take a memory stick with me to the appointment, with my tax return pdf file on it, and Sopra Steria will upload this tax return pdf document from my memory stick? Or is there any other way - e.g., is there an option so that I could email Sopra my tax return pdf file?
Thank you very much! I really appreciate your help!
Kind regards,
Svetlana
lana777 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 4:52 pmHi everyone,
Thank you very much for your helpful advice here, in this forum!
I’ve got some more questions about this application, I really appreciate if anyone could answer them please:
1// In the British citizenship application form there is a question – when did I first arrive in the UK.
Well, I first arrived in the UK in June 2004 on a student visa, then student visa was extended (here, in the UK, I didn’t leave), then I applied and was granted a work permit twice (again – I applied here, in the UK, didn’t leave the country). In 2013 I married a British citizen here, in the UK, but after that I left the UK and applied for a spouse visa from Moscow. After 3.5 months waiting in Russia my spouse visa was granted, so I came to the UK on a spouse visa in December 2013 and have lived here ever since. Now I’ve got ILR and am applying for British citizenship as a spouse of British citizen.
So, what should I put as for when I first arrived in the UK --- June 2004 or December 2013? December 2013
2// There is a question in the application form: ‘Do you have any other details that you would like to be considered regarding this applicant and their application to be registered as a British Citizen?’ If you have nothing to add (eg exceptional circumstances, details on convictions) put it here. If not, no need to write anything.
What are applicants supposed to put down here, could you please clarify?
Thanks a lot, I appreciate your help very much!!!
I applied on the 19 May and attended free biometrics on the 15 June - no issue, my application was approved, and it's pretty much the same time gap you outlined.lana777 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 17, 2024 7:19 pmHi, I’ll be very grateful if anyone would answer my question, please:
Yesterday (16 Feb) I submitted my application form for british citizenship, paid the fee £1580, and was re-directed to ukvcas (Sopra Steria) website to book biometric appointment. Well, all nearest appointments were very expensive - -- £139 or even £245, so I looked a bit further and noticed that on 14 March there are some free appointments, so I’ve booked a free appointment for 14 March.
But now I'm thinking – does it matter much that there is a big gap (nearly a month) between submitting the application form and doing biometrics? Are there any bad consequences of that at all? Could you please advise? If such a gap is too long, then I probably need to pay that high fee for biometrics, and do it earlier… Or it doesn’t matter much?
Thank you very much for clarifying!
Thank you very much for clarifying!alterhase58 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 17, 2024 7:24 pmI understand biometrics should be done within 45 days of application. Not aware that applicants have been penalised due time to biometrics.
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience!contorted_svy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 17, 2024 9:25 pmI applied on the 19 May and attended free biometrics on the 15 June - no issue, my application was approved, and it's pretty much the same time gap you outlined.lana777 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 17, 2024 7:19 pmHi, I’ll be very grateful if anyone would answer my question, please:
Yesterday (16 Feb) I submitted my application form for british citizenship, paid the fee £1580, and was re-directed to ukvcas (Sopra Steria) website to book biometric appointment. Well, all nearest appointments were very expensive - -- £139 or even £245, so I looked a bit further and noticed that on 14 March there are some free appointments, so I’ve booked a free appointment for 14 March.
But now I'm thinking – does it matter much that there is a big gap (nearly a month) between submitting the application form and doing biometrics? Are there any bad consequences of that at all? Could you please advise? If such a gap is too long, then I probably need to pay that high fee for biometrics, and do it earlier… Or it doesn’t matter much?
Thank you very much for clarifying!