Confusion regarding Naturalization. Please help

[mayankpant]

Guys
Please help me with my confusion around Naturalization if you can. Would be very thankful.

Have a 12 month assignment coming up for me outside UK starting Jan next year.
Now am confused on account of naturalization and hence have not said yes to that.

Confusion is that I am eligible for naturalization in March 2016(got my ILR on Mar 7, 2015). If I go for this assignment in January, and start the naturalization process once I return to UK, it'll get delayed by more than a year as once I am back, I'll need to spend 12 months here before I start the naturalization application.

Alternatively I was thinking that I'll go in January, come back for a day in March and start the naturalization application via NCS. Go back to the project the next day and then come for the oath ceremony (or get this done in UK embassy), and later come again for a day or two for the passport interview and passport collection and get it done with.

Would this be possible or are there any obvious issues that I am missing here?

Also I was here as a dependant and now have got my ILR but by March 2016, I would have spent 4.5 yrs in UK and not 5 yrs, is that an issue?

Finally, my wife does not have this issue and she can apply for citizenship in March 2016. If I dont, when I come back and I have an ILR, can I immediately apply for the naturalization as the spouse(having ILR) of a UK citizen or do I still have to spend 9 months in UK(as in the last 12 months, you can be outside the country for 90 days) before I go ahead.


Basically I want to go for this assignment but dont want to delay the naturalization as well so trying to assess if there is a way possible.


Sorry for the long draft and lots of questions. Would appreciate any help.

[CR001]

I would have spent 4.5 yrs in UK and not 5 yrs, is that an issue?

Yes, you won't qualify. The requirement is 5 years residence unless you are married to a British Citizen then it is 3 years residence.

Absence allowances are as follows :

5 years basis - no more than 450 days in the 5 years immediately preceding date of application and no more than 90 days in the 12 months immediately preceding the application.

3 years basis - no more than 270 days in the 3 years immediately preceding date of application and no more than 90 days in the 12 months immediately preceding the application.

There is now an additional requirement to enroll biometrics for naturalisation applications so if you do what you plan, you would need to come back to do that once you are notified by HO and sent the letter.

[mayankpant]

Hi
Yes, I understand.

Thanks