Citizenship through parent

[helpmemakeit]

Has anyone made an application for citizenship through a parent recently and can tell me how long it takes. The email says up to 6mo but I'm hoping it will be quicker as straightforward case always resident in uk.

Are you sure you need to apply?

If you were born in Britain and at least one parent was British at the time of your birth, then you don't need to apply as such. Until you want a passport, and then you just fill in the form - that includes info on place of birth and parent's identity and nationality. I think you need the full-form long birth certificate which lists the parents

Annoyingly I do. I was born overseas in the 70's to Irish mother and British father. Came back to uk at 2 weeks old. They weren't married but he's on my birth certificate (and I have his surname).

If your parents weren’t married at the time of your birth in the 1970s, I don’t think you can get British Citizenship, unless the recent changes to the law have been made retrospective.

If you're now an adult you will have to apply for naturalisation in your own right, as, as you already know, non married British fathers couldn't pass on their citizenship back then.

Sorry, I've just looked and it seems that it is retrospective. It didn't use to be. (I worked in the nationality office but some time ago) The website is also saying 6mths because of Covid.

Yes it changed recently. I never bothered doing it before because the fee was too high. I've had ILR since a child and also have rights through my Irish mother.

The naturalisation fee I mean. This is only costing £100 or thereabouts.

That's good that they've changed it finally! When I worked there it was the Great Anomaly that unmarried men couldn't pass on citizenship.
Good luck!

This is not quite the same, but I gained citizenship through marriage (had ILR), but a pretty straightforward case, and I applied just before the first lockdown last year. It took just a little over 6 months. I did have to email them and query it (not the first time I've had to do this with the Home Office when my application seems to just disappear into the ether). And then magically, my application was approved a few days later. I think they just get lost in a pile on someone's desk until you complain.

I think the citizenship ceremonies are what is taking a long time at the moment as they have to do individual ones as otherwise can't socially distance. It took another 5 months for the ceremony, which is the final set (you aren't a citizen until you do the ceremony). I would expect the whole thing to possibly take 10-12 months, and be pleasantly surprised if it's quicker.

They are doing the citizenship ceremonies online these days as well.

I will do it obviously but I can't help thinking the citizenship ceremony is a bit of a joke in my circumstances. I grew up here in a house with an English dad and Irish (here since 18 though) mum. Family here. Went to school here, university here. Always worked. Paid taxes. Married a British man. I just happened to be born abroad. I'm in my 40's and have been in the uk since I was 2 weeks old.