Hi Guys,
I just received a refusal today.
I am wondering what would be the best course of action to support a reconsideration in my case. See the refusal reason as follows:
"Reasons for decision
One of the requirements for citizenship is that the applicant is of good character. Based on the evidence available we are not satisfied that you meet this requirement.
Whilst ‘good character’ is not defined in the British Nationality Act 1981, an applicant is expected to have shown due regard for the laws of this country. The published guidance (
http://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio ... y-guidance) explains how this is assessed and states that:
A person must be refused if they have:
• a custodial sentence of less than 12 months
• a non-custodial sentence or out-of-court disposal recorded on their criminal record
and you are not satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that they are of good character.
When assessing Good Character consideration has been given to:
• the length of time you have spent in the UK,
• the period of time that has passed since your last offence,
• the number, frequency, nature and seriousness of the offences recorded against you, on your criminal record,
• your age at the time the offences took place,
• any contributions which you have made to society such as working, paying tax and national insurance,
• any other information/mitigation that may have been provided in support of your good character.
You have provided information in support of your good character. We have considered your statement in which you state:
I respectfully ask that the Home Office considers the following mitigating factors in assessing my good character:
Lack of Intent: I was completely unaware that my insurance policy had been cancelled. Had I known, I would have immediately taken steps to reinstate it before allowing anyone to drive my car.
Prompt Remedial Action: As soon as I became aware of the issue, I contacted my insurance provider and reinstated the policy without delay.
Absence of Similar Offences: Aside from a minor speeding penalty in 2021, I have had no further driving-related infractions in nearly a decade, demonstrating my general adherence to traffic laws.
Long Period of Lawful Conduct: My last significant conviction was in 2014, meaning I have now spent over ten years without any criminal offences. This demonstrates genuine rehabilitation and a commitment to lawful conduct.
Positive Contributions to Society: Since overcoming personal challenges, I have actively contributed to my community, maintained stable employment, and taken full responsibility for raising my son.
When submitting your application, you consent to this department conducting checks with other government departments and/or agencies, and these returned the following results:
On 03 June 2010 you were convicted of assault at Glasgow City JP and issued a fine.
On 21 November 2012 you were convicted of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause fear or alarm, domestic abuse aggravator and issued a community payback order after failing to comply with bail conditions.
On 26 September 2013 you were sentenced to 108 days imprisonment and issued a restriction order at Glasgow Sheriff for breach of the peace and domestic abuse.
When considering all factors, we are not satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that you have demonstrated that you meet the good character requirement, and your application is therefore refused.
We have also considered whether there are any exceptional circumstances which should be taken into consideration to support an exceptional grant under this policy. An exceptional case is one, where on the facts of the case, the application would normally be refused but there are mitigating circumstances which mean it would be appropriate to grant.
You have included mitigations/representations as to why you should be considered of good character. These migrations include the length of time since your last offence and your positive contributions to society in the form active participation with your community, maintaining stable employment and raising your son.
After careful consideration of your representations and mitigation, we are not persuaded that they outweigh the seriousness of the offence/your behaviour.
Therefore, your representations/mitigations do not support an exceptional grant under this policy for the following reasons.
While we have carefully considered the mitigation you provided, your submissions lack sufficient detail in relation to the offences outlined above. On the balance of probabilities, we are not satisfied that the good character requirement has been met. As a result, your application is refused."
I provided some letters from a doctors, psychiatrist and CPN regarding a mental condition that i was diagnosed of in 2014. I was hostpitalised for 3months and had a intensive care team support me for 2years after discharge and a community team after that.
I also provided letters from volunteering activities that i have been engaging with but it appears they either overlooked them or didn't take them into consideration.
I don't know what they want when they said "submissions lack sufficient detail in relation to the offences outlined above". Any guidance on what else i should provide would be appreciated.
Thanks guys
