Immigration and naturalisation

In the UK, immigration is a term which relates to the situation where an individual from a foreign country wishes to enter the UK to settle. Immigration law also covers cases where individuals just want to visit the UK, for example to transact business. Immigration and naturalisation help is offered by a number of different providers. Some are law firms, other are specialists who deal solely with immigration and naturalisation matters.

Naturalisation allows a foreign national who has settled status and has lived in the UK to become a British citizen. There are a number of requirements which must be satisfied before an application for naturalisation can be made, and these requirements can vary depending on the applicant’s spouse or civil partner (if applicable). Below is a summary of the continuous residence rules that apply:

If an applicant is neither married to, nor in a civil partnership with a British citizen, they must have legally lived in the UK for a continuous period of five years in order to apply for naturalisation

However, if the applicant is married to, or in a civil partnership with a British citizen, they only have to have lived legally in the UK for a continuous period of three years in order to apply

Please note that there are a number of other requirements that must be met in order to apply for naturalisation. Immigration and naturalisation rules can be difficult to interpret and it is often best to seek specialist legal advice.

If you would like to obtain legal advice and information on immigration and naturalisation issues, 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 433 4846 or complete the web-form above.