that's a great idea!
below is also the cover letter I worked on for so long to support my appeal for discretion. I've removed all personal info:
Re: Absences during the qualifying period
Dear Officer,
I am writing to you concerning my application for naturalisation as a British citizen.
I write to request you to exercise your discretion in regards to my absences during the qualifying period of 5 years. I am applying under section 6(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981, and I have spent a total of [x] days outside the UK in the 5 years prior to the application date, which is [y] days over the acceptable threshold of 450 days. However:
- I do meet the rest of the residency requirements.
- I have established and continued to have my home, employment, family, finances, and taxes paid in the UK even during my extended absence.
- I have spent at least two years without substantial absences immediately prior to the beginning of the qualifying period.
Therefore, I believe I satisfy the conditions where discretion could be exercised.
Moreover, my extended absence of [x] days was due to exceptionally compelling reasons of a compassionate nature, which was [explaining the whole situation why you were abroad for that long].
Please see below table 1 detailing my absences outside the UK in the 5 years prior to application and date, and table 2 detailing my absences outside the UK for at least the 2 years prior to the beginning of the qualifying period.
Table 1: days outside the UK in the 5 years prior to application date
[insert a table with: Destination/ Departure date/ Return date/ Number of days outside the UK/ Reason.
Total:]
Table 2: days outside the UK since moving to the UK and up until the start of the qualifying period (over 2 years).
[same format]
The above tables reflect that, aside from the necessary and extended period spent in [x country] to [reason for absence], my travels outside the UK has been moderate and for standard reasons such as family visits and holidays and work obligations. I wish to rely on your guidance, “ Nationality policy: Naturalisation as a British citizen by discretion, Version 14.0’ which at page 17:
You will note I have spent less than 90 days outside the UK in the period of 12 months prior to this application’s date, and aside from the extended stay outside the UK, my absences from the UK are normal holiday and business trips.
I kindly ask that this exceptional compassionate situation is taken into account:
[explain in bullet points the chronological order of things]
Furthermore to this request for discretion, I have established and continued to have my home, employment, family and finances in the UK even during my extended absence. I kept working for my UK employer [Compay name] as a [job title]. My salary kept going into my UK bank account as usual, and my money was transferred from my account to my wife’s account in the UK as needed to cover the house and my son’s expenses.
Whilst abrod, I continued to pay all my bills in the UK as usual, from my personal mobile phone, to the gas and electricity and water bills, my mortgage payments continued to be paid as scheduled, and I kept in touch with my friends and my family over messaging apps and video calls.
To demonstrate my financial ties to the UK that continued while I was away, I’m submitting with this application my salary slips for the concerned period, my P60s, mortgage statements, joint bank statements, personal bank statements, utilities bills, employment letter and contract as I worked for a UK company and all my taxes were paid in the UK. A full list of all the documents I am submitting is below.
[insert a paragraph about how your life is based in the UK and that you intend to live here etc].
I would not have exceeded my time outside of the UK had it not been for [reasons for absence] and I would be grateful that you take this into account as these circumstances were out of my control. My life, family, work are all in the UK and this is where I intend to remain.
I’m attaching the following documents with my application:
General documents
My current passport
My previous passport
My ILR
English language and LIUK
B1 CEFR certificate (English language certificate.pdf)
Life in the UK PASS reference email (Lifei n the UK TEST PASS reference.pdf)
Ties to the UK
Wife’s passport (X full passport 202425.pdf)
Wife’s naturalisation certificate (X nuturalisation.jpeg)
Marriage certificate (marriage certificate.pdf)
Two Referee declarations (X Referee Declaration.pdf and Y - Referee form.pdf)
My work contract (230710 -Contract_encrypted_signed.pdf)
Employment letter (240809 - Employment.pdf)
My TUPE transfer letter (IX Marketing TUPE letter .pdf)
Our home’s mortgage agreement (original Mortgage agreement.pdf)
Our home’s mortgage statements from the start of my extended absence in April 2022 till now (mortgage statement April 22 - Aug 24.pdf)
Latest mortgage statement, issued in October of each year. (Mortgage statement Oct 2023.pdf)
My car’s finance agreement . ( car Finance Docs.pdf)
P60 forms from 2018 till now (p60 2018.pdf, p60 2019.pdf, p60 2020.pdf, P60 2021.pdf, P60 2022.pdf, 2022-2023 P60.pdf, 2023-2024 P60.pdf)
Salary slips from Jan 2022 till now covering my extended absence (salary slips Jan 2022 to July 2024.pdf)
My bank statements during my extended absence (Bank statements April 22 to July 24 v2.pdf)
Our joint bank account’s statements during my extended absence (10 pdf files. Sorry those PDFs’ security settings didn’t allow me to combine in one).
Gas and electric bills I paid during my extended absence (Gas and electricity bills April 2022 to July 20244 (1).pdf)
Latest council bill tax (2024 council tax bill.pdf)
Reasons for requesting discretion
All the documents relating to the reasons that justifies or supports your extended stay outside the UK.
I sincerely hope for favorable consideration of my circumstances and thank you for your understanding and compassion in this matter.
Best regards,
Contact info and name
