After several hours of research, I have developed the ultimate Master Plan for becomming a British Citizen. I recieved all of my imformation from a legal, government website: http://www.uknationality.gov.uk/content/british_citizenship/english/homepage.html
I typed all the necessary info up extremely neatly in microsoft word, but 43things makes it appear all messy when I paste it in the window. Nevertheless, here is the information:
There are two ways to become a British Citizen:
1.) Registration
a.) Applicable if you are stateless or a direct descendant of British parents.
2.) Naturalization
a.) Applicants must:
1.) Have lived legally in the UK for five years, the last year being free of any time restrictions.
a. You can be granted this two ways:
i. Apply for permanent residency
ii. Apply for indefinite leave to remain in the country.
a.) These can be obtained a variety of ways. The only two applicable to me were:
1.) Highly Skilled Migrant Permit
a.) Is obtained based on a point system. Points are awarded based on factors such as level of education, earning potential and age. 65 points are needed to obtain the permit.
2.) Work Permit
a.) The new immigration laws extended the amount of time granted by work permits, but made them more difficult to obtain. Typical work permit durations are 5 years or more; enough time to apply for naturalized citizenship. A work visa is needed to obtain the permit, and according to new laws, only employers can fill out the paperwork for obtaining a work visa – not the employee. Thus, many employers tend to treat migrant workers as a last resort as they do not want to deal with the hassle of completing visa paperwork, and also therefore being responsible for the migrants actions once in the country.
2.) Be aged 18 or older
3.) Be of a sound mind
4.) Be of good character
5.) Have sufficient knowledge of the English language
6.) Plan to remain closely connected with the United Kingdom
7.) During the five years residency required to become a naturalized citizen, the applicant must not have remained outside the UK for more than 450 days
8.)In the last 12 months of the five years, the applicant must not have been outside the UK for more than 90 days.
b.) Application processing time – six to eleven months
c.) The current immigration law, which was updated and established in 1981, states that once you become a British citizen, you are allowed to continue to hold citizenship in your county of origin also, thus obtaining dual citizenship. This is applicable however only if supported by laws in your country of origin.
d.) On a side note, it is lawful to permanently reside in the UK on any basis after one has lived there for a total of ten years.
