To be worried about my indefinite leave to remain. Should I get British citizenship?

[Milliemoons]

I know it hasn’t happened yet and may not happen. But I’m worried about the security of my indefinite leave to remain. Anyone else out there? Or am I worried about nothing? I understand that legally they cannot really do much to jeopardise the status of people who have acquired legal settled status already but I’m worried more about pressure and complications should anything change.

I was born in the UK and have always lived here, except for 4 years as a child in my parents’ home country. I have the same citizenship as my parents because originally as a child you had to be on a parent’s passport. I think I therefore have easy-ish access to British citizenship but it’s not something I ever imagined applying for.

Because I know I feel extremely hypocritical to become British when I dint feel British
Because on a day to day basis, one of the first will still be ‘where do you come from?’ Even after 25+ years in the country, 2dcs, a British husband etc.. The difference is that now, they can’t place what the ‘where’ is whereas before they knew straight away. I’ll never be seen as British.

So yes, I’m working on the citizenship too.
Despite all my misgivings.

But very relunctantly and quite unhappyly I’m basically been forced to do it.

@Milliemoons as a fellow non brit, do it. Do it now too befure our current government suddenly feel the need to become stricter on that too.

Do you mean British as in feeling British or as in having the citizenship?

OP says herself she was born here, grew up here and was educated here and that people would assume she is 100% British

She is culturally British as well as culturally her parents' home country because the majority of her formative years and experiences are British

I have dual citizenship of the UK and another country that I've never lived in and really not had much to do with since I was a child. I had similar feelings about acquiring the second citizenship at the time, and wouldn't have done it if my parents hadn't pushed me into it, but ten years later the practical advantages have massively, massively outweighed the conflicting feelings I had at the time in ways I couldn't possibly have foreseen. There's a lot more potential for you to regret not doing this in the future than there is to regret doing it. I do understand how you feel, but please just get it done, you'll thank yourself one day.

Being an immigrant is difficult, comes with a lot of emotions, and second generation immigrants have a difficult time too; your identity is sort of blurred. You feel like you just don't belong anywhere. It really isn't easy.

And some people are more emotional than others about it (like with everything). Personally, as an immigrant myself, I agree with you but I understand OP's feelings.

Please don't leave yourself vulnerable, you're part of our rich and diverse nation and I would hate for a change in policy to risk your security.

I am not from an immigrant background so I appreciate you may feel that I am not in a position to input onto this but from my perspective you could look at it from a positive spin.

Dual citizenship allows you to celebrate both of the countries that are important to your life. You retain a passport from your parents home country and the country that your family are historically from, you retain a connection to that country BUT you also gain a passport and citizenship of the country who has embraced you and that you have spent the vast majority of your life in.

It is a way to celebrate the past and heritage but also your families future and the country you (your parents) chose to integrate themselves into.

I would get on with getting british citizenship.
I am British, parents born and raised, but my family tree and DNA shows that I have swedish, italian, jewish, finnish and persian ancestors as little as two generations back. As well as a lot of english, Irish, scottish and Welsh .I think my ancestors must have decided to integrate fully as we have no customs, or anything handed down through the generations.
I think most 'British'people will have similar mixed heritage if they looked into it. But if you want to live here forever, just become a citizen as this is where your children are from and at some point your childrens children will only ever know being british anyway.

But OP has another citizenship. It might not be ideal, but for some starting over might be preferable to living in Farage’s Britain. It’s OP’s choice to consider.

The problem arises if OP’s current citizenship doesn’t allow them to become a citizen of elsewhere without relinquishing that citizenship.

Lots of EU countries do not allow you to adopt dual citizenship unless you were born a dual national, which it sounds like OP was not.

Can you keep your other citizenship?

I was born in England, there til 3yrs - mix of England/ Ireland - back to England for secondary years - then back to Ireland since.

I have always felt Irish, and held and Irish passport. BUT if I lived in the UK I would be getting a passport/ citizenship.

I think as previous poster said you need to take the emotion out of it and secure your legal rights. The citizenship will not change your culture, heritage and ultimately how you feel. It will only give you peace of mind that a racist lunatic will not seek to kick you out of the country where you have chosen to have your children and make your home.

Personally if I was you I would be applying for citizenship ASAP. You shouldn’t have to, but with things the way they are and I can only see them getting worse, get that security while you can.

This is a very healthy perspective, thank you for sharing it and it’s hopefully helpful to OP and others like her.

I'd do it just for peace of mind. I was inspired by the other similar thread last week and even though I don't really want to get citizenship, I'm doing it. Got the Life in the UK test booked and I'm memorising everything I need to know using the app.

I hate that I have to spend all the money on it, but I think my life will be easier then. I too felt a little emotional about it but now I'm purely practical. Get paperwork done, sit the test, wait, get passport and carry on as normal.

is there a downside for applying for citizenship (other than cost)? I know not all countries allow dual citizenship etc. If it's just cost, I would bite the bullet and get the UK passport as well. I recently did the same and really glad I did seeing the way things move. Even if Nigel does not get in in a few years times, Labour are going to make things harder too. It's a race to the bottom really. I would go for citizenship.

I've got ILR, have had for a v long time. I'm not worried about the current political situation. I think it's a lot of scaremonging. I've got far better things to spend the better part of £2000 on.

I’m in a similar but not the same position and would have to relinquish my (European) citizenship. I didn’t grow up in Britain though to switch away from ILR, so I don’t consider myself British by birth or heritage. I am still in the anger/denial stage being asked to have to make a decision to relinquish it or not.

How will Labour make things 'harder', what does this look like?

Settled status, which is presumably what you have if you're European, and Indefinite Leave to Remain aren't quite the same thing. I realise you may know this, but I think it's important in these sorts of discussions to be clear.

If you live here, intend to stay and have children, then I think you absolutely should get the citizenship.

You never know whether the rules or eligibility could change, or restrictions been out on those on ILR (e.g. NHS, benefits,...).

I understand how this can be, but apply for the British citizenship.

I was born in a different country and identify entirely with that nationality. My daughter was born here, but also strongly identify with that nationality, and is a citizen by descent (both parents).

All three of us have British passports though (she's entitled by birth...), as it made sense to have it for these current issues and other reasons. This hasn't diminished how we acknowledge and celebrate our heritage.

My husband feels similarly to you - he came here as a teen, it was a desperate and he hoped temporary measure… but turned out settling, marrying, two kids (and works harder and pays more tax than most). He begrudges swearing his allegiance to the King as he is not a royalist and with solicitor fees it may well not be financially feasible. But we can’t risk him being deported - our DC would be devastated and everything we’ve worked so hard for, from nothing, lost…

Wait, what? I didn't know this either!

I'm a British citizen (says so on my passport), but now I wonder how - pretty sure my parents only sorted iltr during Brexit.