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.

Nations are fairly new if we're talking the entirety of human history.

Rome didn't give a crap where you were born for example.

But again. I was moved here when I was 6 months old. This has never been my choice, as birth nation is never a child's choice. I feel I'm being punished as a by product of appeasement to racists. And I very much object to that.

From what I can tell since 1983 children adopted from os would get uk citizenship in most circumstances if one of the adoptivr parents is British and if not there is a process for registration.

I doubt reform would target those provisions. I wouldn’t agree with it if they did. It’s not a similar scenario to that the OP has proposed.

Its very unlikely that current proposals could go ahead without serious legal challenges, but to be honest I would go for citizenship. To be safe.

I never thought I'd see the day that someone from UK would need to have a spouse visa and earn 29 000 A year to marry someone from Spain ( my family's country of origin).... But here we are....

I meant that she doesn't have to wait, or go through a further process. It's not fees that she objects to.

Unless your parents come from a country that doesn't allow dual-citizenship (eg: Lithuania) then get both and have that advantage over your regular UK-born Brit with only a British heritage to choose from.

Then you're covered and can still get all emotional about your heritage at your leisure.

I spent 6 years as a child in the USA but that doesn't count for shit; I'm half-Scottish and lived there as a kid for a few years too and get all emotional at the sound of bagpipes and the Skye Boat Song but that doesn't count for shit either.

Get your UK citizenship, worry about nothing and eat the food you want to eat whenever you want to eat it. Can't see what the problem is.

That's good for the op, and I'm pleased for them.

Unfortunately for me, I was born prior to 1983.
I was moved here with IDL. I've always had it. It's never really been an issue. I had no control over what I was given.

@2024onwardsandup
How would you propose that nationality be first determined if not by place of birth? Are you proposing that there not be nations?

Are you American?! The UK doesn’t have citizenship by place of birth. In fact, most nations do not. British citizenship is by jus sanguinis- by blood- you are born a British citizen if one of your parents is British. There are special rules where certain people can automatically apply (pay) to naturalise if they are for example, born in the UK to parents with ILR and meet residency requirements.

jus solis is citizenship by place (soil) of birth. The United States is among a tiny minority of countries that grant citizenship by place of birth.

I also think if I committed a grave crime (eg murder, terrorist attack) it would be entirely reasonable for my citizenship to be stripped and for me to be deported.

Stripping of citizenship of dual nationals is limited to the kinds of crimes that were thought of as treason. So, it would be joining the armed forces of an enemy. So joining ISIS, or joining Russia’s army would be crimes that cause British citizenship to be stripped, usually while you are abroad fighting against British 🇬🇧 armed forces. Another would be domestic terrorist attacks aka the modern day version of Gunpowder Plot conspiracy to or carrying out an actual attack.

Murder would not result in loss of citizenship.

It can be the opposite in fact e.g. the Netherlands

Mumsnet never fails to amuse me.
On one hand, you get endless threads declaring that £35K a year is a “great salary.”
Then there are posters admitting that paying around £2K for citizenship is “a huge amount of money.”
And then, almost in the same breath, others chime in with “anyone earning under £60K is basically a low-paid leech.”

Honestly… 😂

Stop navel gazing and just get the citizenship.

Ah Yeah, that’s unfortunate.

The older the law, the more sexist and racist it gets.
Reform could regress the laws back what they were, but they’d have a hard time doing it.

The citizenship application is cheap compared to visas and ILR. The cost will only go up. That is what I expect Reform to do to slow down applications by making them unaffordable to a regular person. If they win. I hope they do not.

I can't believe how quickly things are changing for the worse here. It's really depressing. I'm fortunate enough not to be affected, but if anyone close to me was in your position, I'd be worried about them.
If you can afford it, I'd do it. I think the feeling of security would be worth it.

I honestly think Reform will win, even if every single naturalised Brit does their “voting duty.”
Had a funny encounter this evening. Mid-conversation it turned out the person I was talking to is a Reform voter. At some point I said: “But you do realise they want me and potentially my DC out of here?” Cue a startled stare, followed by: “No no, they won’t do such a thing.” Bless them.
People vote Reform for very different reasons. I don’t even hold it against them, it is what it is. But there are many of them, and not nearly enough of us to swing things the other way

An upside of getting citizenship - you’ll be able to vote in general elections and make that little bit less likely those lovely chaps won’t get elected….

I've found this.

They either ignore me and change the subject,

Or, stare me dead in the eye and say we don't mean people like you.

Like they get to choose.

Which I actually find scarier.

I vote.

Not that your sentiment isn't assuring!

But I've voted with IDL since I was 18.
I'm beginning to wonder if maybe noone in authority actually knows what they're doing...

Ok great. But as far I understand, people with ILR cannot vote in general elections or by-elections so they cannot elect their MP. ILR people can vote in local govt elections only.

only in the UK

But a citizen can also vote from abroad
https://www.gov.uk/voting-when-living-abroad

Huh.

I did not know that .

Well. I guess I'd better look into that.

See, I'm far more worried about this that citizenship! But i never even registered to vote, they just sent me a polling card!

I am not a specialist! Check on the electoral commission website…

I am beginning to think that although my passport has an idl stamp in it that I may actually hold something else.

Because the British passport office did tell me their records show i can have a British passport if I can provide the correct original documents.

But I'm still pissed off for everyone else with IDL.

Lol, I don't expect you to be! But you're the second person that's said that to me and I'm like, wait? What? I'm not allowed!!!

Ooops.

I will definitely be looking into that!

Thanks for the heads up!

To anyone who met me, they’d assume I was 100% British. But by blood, I’m not. I was raised according to the customs (and food!) of my parents’ country.
Having sole citizenship of that country is sort of symbolic. A reminder of my heritage.

Where do you want to be? Here, or there?

If its here - own it. Become a citizen.

Don't conflate culture and legal status, becoming a british citizen doesn't force you to put aside your cultural heritage, it's welcome here. Share it, enjoy it, celebrate it, your citizenship grants you important legal protections in your home nation so decide where that's going to be.

Yes, get it for peace of mind