Originally posted by kentish@Sep 11 2005, 08:06 PM
So you think its over ....................

I dont think so, not by a long way.

You still have to apply for indefinate leave to remain ! Then you will find that the UK immigration offices are no better.

Get that wallet out and stand and deliver !

Good luck !
Indefinite Leave to Remain was just a formality in the UK for my wife: fill a form in, write a cheque, send off passport, get a couple of guarantors to sign the paperworks, that they'd known her for a year and she was cool, and the certificate came about two weeks later.

Nationalisation was a bit more tedious, as they need proof of the abilty to speak English. Apparently, speaking fluent English is not good enough. You have to show valid documentation that you have some qualification for it.

OR, you can go to a solicitor of some kind and get a signed statement that you have a good command of the English language. Anyhow, my wife and I both mised this in the procedures, having misread the documentation about it, so they sent us all the papers back and asked us to send the evidence they required about the language proof. But, they did only want the proof papers, and even sent us an adressed envelope to send it back in.

We had been warned the whole process could take up to 10 months to finish, depending on how her paperworks panned out, but surprisingly, even with the paperwork glitch, she got her certificate of Brit nationality back after about ten weeks total. She did her swearing in ceremony two months ago, immediatly sent off for the Brit passport, and recieved it back within ten days.
Now she is a full on Brit, and just wants to get the hell out and live in the USA :blink:

I've no complaints about the UK end of the immigration and naturalisation process. Just a bit complicated and expensive, and it's only going up in price.

Oh, there was one slight glitch: the woman my wife had to do the swearing in thing to, some local councillor or other, turned out to be my very first ever girlfriend, back when I was a pimply teenager!!! :o B)