British Nationality and Commonwealth Right of Abode

Determining whether or not a person has British Citizenship can be surprisingly complex. For example, a person is not necessarily British if they were born in the UK. Whether or not they are British also depends on when they were born, the nationality of their parents and whether their parents were married.

Certain Commonwealth citizens also have a right to live in the UK. This can be because they were born in a Commonwealth country before 1983 and either; one of their parents was born in the UK or they were married to a UK citizen. Although the Commonwealth citizen retains the citizenship from the Commonwealth country, they also have most of the rights of a British Citizen.

It is possible to become a British Citizen even though you might hold the citizenship of another country. This is called naturalisation. Once a foreign national is settled in the UK he can apply for British Citizenship provided certain criteria are met. The Home Secretary has discretion as to whether to grant British Citizenship to someone who applies.

An application for naturalisation as a British Citizen can cost up to £720 at the time of writing with fees frequently changing. Failure to properly complete the application can result in the application being refused by the Home Office which will mean that you need to resubmit the application with a new fee. Using an Immigration Solicitor will mean that the form is properly completed and will reduce the chance of your application being refused by the Home Office.

If, once you have been naturalised, you need any further legal advice, such as on British family law or employment law, Contact Law can put you in touch with a suitable solicitor.

If you would like to obtain legal advice on how to make an application for naturalisation Contact Law can put you in touch with a local specialist immigration solicitor free of charge. So, if you have any questions or would like our help in finding local immigration solicitors please call us on 0800 1777 162 or complete the web form above.

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