What is the different between British Citizenship, British Nationality & British Naturalised?
Birth in the UK does not automatically confer British citizenship – the most common route is by “naturalisation”. The basic criteria for becoming a British citizen by naturalisation include having completed a five year period of residence in the UK, including at least one full year with indefinite leave to remain. Other criteria include the applicant intending to make the UK their main home and not having been absent from the UK for more than 450 days in the five year period and not more than 90 days in the last year. A certain amount of discretion can be exercised in favour of applicants who have spent more days outside the UK, depending on the total number and the reasons given. Becoming a British citizen is often a natural progression for people who have come to the UK in an employment based category such as work permit, UK ancestry etc., obtained indefinite leave to remain after four years and have become eligible for an application to naturalise as a British citizen a year later.
