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.

I doubt Farage would be able to deport people with existing ILR so if you’re not keen on doing it, don’t. The country would fall apart. His so called future policies will just remain a figment of his imagination.

She wants “all the rights” that go with ILR not citizenship.

Which is her right as a resident and contributor.

If she does not feel British and subsequently does not want a passport - how does that impact you?

She is not establishing a hierarchy of citizenships as she only has one.

And your approach to seeing yourself as equally both is not everybody’s way of doing things. I absolutely consider my Britishness more closely than my Australianness.

Saying she agrees with Reform is a wild interpretation.

If she was a rare example, it’s fine. However if there are thousands, sorry hundreds of thousands, of people (which I don’t think is a ludicrous idea) who feel like that, then what kind of society do we have in this country?

She wants to never have her right to live here revoked. ILR is and should be always subjext to the potential to be revoked 🤷‍♀️

And of course she’s agreeing with Reform - she’s a poster child for it - she’s saying that despite being born in the UK and wanting to live here forever her primary alligeance is to another country. That is the core of Reforms objection to immigrants.

Yes, get it. It’s sensible anyway. Getting ILR is an absolute nightmare. But the citizenship application was a breeze in comparison. It’s an extra expense, but was such a relief.

My dcs are binationals and bicultural. Born in the U.K., have always lived there etc…. No one would think looking at them or hearing them they anything but British.
If you ask them which citizenship is theirs (as they did in the census - you can only choose ONE), one was British, the other my nationality. Despite having never lived there.

Don’t assume for other people if they feel British enough let alone 100% British. How you relate to the country you live in or belong to or are a citizen of is much more complex than just ‘you’ve lived here all your life therefore you’re british’

Interesting thread.

The thought of Reform getting a majority vote is terrifying, but unlikely to happen in our FPTP system.

I don't think I'm just being optimistic when I say that it's extremely unlikely that their bullshit ideas about deporting people with ILR will ever come to fruition.

However, if you are living in the UK as a non-British citizen with ILR or settled status, I can absolutely understand wanting to get British citizenship for peace of mind.

It's a very expensive way to get peace of mind, though. And the only concrete advantages of citizenship over ILR/settled status are the ability to vote in general elections (you can already vote in local elections) and the ability to live abroad for as long as you want without losing citizenship - you would lose ILR/settled status if you lived outside the UK for too long.

Take the emotion out of it. It’s not going to get easier to get a British passport.

Reform’s ILR is probably undersold, ie it will apply to a bigger class of ILR that discussed last week. But don’t you kid yourself ILR can’t be retrospectively changed. It can.

And I think the ‘but how can you not be feeling British’ posters need to ask welsh people living in England if they feel welsh or English. Or if their children are English or welsh seeing they were born in England….
How many children born from Scottish parents in England would tell you proudly theyre Scottish, not English?
There was a really good thread on that a few months ago (maybe a year now) around that subject.

No one bats an eye lid at that idea.
So why doing so for foreigners?

Fwiw my experience is that children from ‘foreign born’ parents have totally integrated British culture. But mingled in there Theres their culture too. Strongly. In the sense of humour, the food, their likes and dislikes. What they consider ok or not ok.
They cannot be 100% british. Not culturally at the very least.

I don't think I'm just being optimistic when I say that it's extremely unlikely that their bullshit ideas about deporting people with ILR will ever come to fruition.

Seeing that Starmer is saying he wants to change INTERNATIONAL law on refugees and asylum seekers, I wouldn’t be so sure…..

If I were you, I would get British Citizenship. You wouldn't have to renounce your EU country citizenship or your passport. And if things get too horrible here, you can duck out and live in your other country for a while!

I would. Through my job I’ve seen people having ILR revoked because they worked or had caring responsibilities overseas for more than two years and didn’t realise it would lapse. I think having citizenship would feel more secure.

What year were you born? What was your parents' immigration status in the UK when you were born? Did one or both of them have ILR at the time?

They can now even with FPTP. It could change of course but it’s doable.

Foreigners are held to a different standard.

A good friend of mine was born and raised in England. Married an English man. Raising kids with him but will only consider herself Scottish despite having no desire to live there as that is what her parents are.

And old handyman of mine, proper “Essex Lad” laughed out loud at the thought of being seen as English / British.
He was, in his eyes, Irish and only Irish despite being legally British.

I think this is a very good point to bring up.

Many think that you are automatically British if you are born in the UK. You’re not. One parent needs to a be British citizen.
I’m assuming OPs parents aren’t British which is why she applied for ILR (long residence). After holding ILR for one year you can apply for citizenship.

People think that children born here are British but they hold their parents nationality until they have been living here for 10 years and can apply for citizenship.

If they weren’t born in the UK but have lived here for 7 years and have no status they can apply for permission to stay. Which is renewable every 2.5 years - application fees and IHS (NHS) fees. They have to be under 18. After 5 years they can apply for ILR.

Everyone thinks it’s just a bloody free for all and migrants have babies to stay in the UK but it truly doesn’t work like that.

Not completely true. Commonwealth citizens are able to vote in all U.K. elections

I'm not sure this will true if Reform gets in

I’m sorry you’re worried about this OP! I hate the rhetoric around at the moment & the fact that it’s upsetting people! 💐

This is exactly how I feel! People don’t understand why I don’t just get citizenship (in my case it should be fairly easy). But I’m country I grew up in and I feel emotionally attached to that. I live in the UK, love the UK, have paid a shit load of tax in the UK and I have British children…..but I’m not British in my heart so I’ve never gone for citizenship. I feel I may need to now.

I vote in general elections and have idl.

Am I not allowed? They've never asked me anything about my immigration status.

This bit below is not important, sorry.

Mind you, I was also sent a ni number and card at 16. My idl has NEVER been an issue in the 48 years I've lived here until just before Brexit. Then my employer asked for confirmation I could work in the UK. I didn't know how to do this, so spoke to a judge I know.
I went to court and have a document stating my right to reside and work in the UK.

It is signed by a judge.

The thing that worries me is that reform are saying they will retrospectively remove my rights.

My argument and issue isn't about changing the law going forwards. It is about changing the law in the past.

I think anyone that supports or campaigns for that is a total shit.

People don’t understand why I don’t just get citizenship

Getting UK citizenship doesn't mean giving up your own heritage, identity or emotional attachment to where you grew up though! I already said up thread that I'm a dual national and don't feel by ALSO becoming a British citizen that I've given anything up of my own identity.

I agree, but being told you have to. Having the threat hanging over you if you dont, all because a group of people are shouting really loudly aboutthings that makes no sense or are racist, feels really really really wrong.

No but I hope/imagine you somehow felt British enough.
And that’s not how the OP feels.

Ofc reason says she should be getting the British citizenship, it won’t change anything. It’s just a piece of paper.
And it does change things. You’re not just <insert country> you’ve become that AND British.
As it should be really.