British Nationality and Citizenship
The new Nationality and Borders Act is good news for people with British roots who wish to apply for British citizenship, significantly expanding the possibilities for claiming citizenship of the UK.
Your fast-track to citizenship
We use a systematic process to investigate all possible routes to British citizenship, whether via a parent, ancestor or through residence in the UK or a British territory. Our team leaves no stone unturned and we are often able to uncover avenues to citizenship that others cannot.
For individuals who are already resident in the UK, we can determine if there is the possibility of an accelerated journey to British citizenship without lengthy time needed to gain Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
As leaders in corporate immigration, we also provide custom citizenship evaluations to help human resource departments to hire the talent they need to grow their businesses. This is particularly helpful for applicants who live and work in multiple jurisdictions since spending a large amount of time overseas could make you ineligible for ILR or British citizenship through naturalisation.
Our service is both personalised and personable. Our friendly team will guide you skillfully through the process with the aim of helping you realise your goal of British citizenship sooner than you think.
Citizenship Questionnaire
Discover if you are eligible for British citizenship
1. Download and complete the CB Citizenship questionnaire with your details
2. Send it back to us (see instructions in the questionnaire)
3. Receive a clear Y/N result from our Immigration team
After analysing your information, we will provide you with a clear decision on your eligibility. If you are interested in finding out more, we can arrange a call to discuss the full findings of your eligibility report and how we can support you in your citizenship application.
British nationality has two broad routes of entry:
– citizenship “by descent,” which is based on a person’s ancestry and the background of their parent(s) and/or grandparent(s)
– citizenship “otherwise than by descent”, which applies to people who claim citizenship in their own right by being born, adopted, naturalised or, in many cases, registered in the United Kingdom or a qualifying territory.
The type of citizenship you hold is important because it will determine whether you can automatically pass your citizenship status onto your children, even if they were born outside the UK.
Historically, mothers and unmarried fathers were prevented from passing British Overseas Territories Citizenship, curtailing a possible entitlement to full British citizenship. Part I of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, which came into force in June 2022, seeks to remedy these past injustices. The rules open up new opportunities for people to claim nationality through descent who might not have been eligible through ancestry before the new rules.
You can find more information in our FAQs section:
Who benefits from the new rules?Toggle
Under the new changes, you may be able to register as a British national through descent if you meet certain requirements. Eligible individuals may be awarded citizenship without the need to move to the UK at all, or after a period of shorter residency than the full 5 or 6 years required when seeking citizenship otherwise than by descent through naturalisation.
In general, you may wish to explore your rights to British nationality if you:
– Have a UK-born parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, including relatives by adoption, or
– Were married before 1983 to a person who had strong family links back to the UK or a former British territory.
These categories are not exhaustive. If you have British roots, we invite you to contact us. Our team works diligently to evaluate all British nationality claims and to provide a robust package of evidence to the Home Office.
My partner and I are both EU citizens living in the UK. Our children were born in the UK; are they eligible for British nationality?Toggle
Children born to nationals resident in the UK can become British citizens automatically at birth.
However, it depends on the parents’ immigration status at the time the children is born and the home office has recently updated its guidance on this very issue.
My partner has UK ancestry; can I apply for British nationality?Toggle
The partner might be eligible for British citizenship, subject to the nature of their UK ancestry. Otherwise, the partner would need to apply for an Ancestry visa (specific conditions apply), the spouse would apply for a dependent visa and both could apply for naturalisation in due course after obtaining ILR.
I was born in the UK but lived most of my life outside the UK; can I apply for British nationality?Toggle
People born in the UK before 1 January 1983 are automatically considered British citizens. However, various rules apply for people born in the UK after that date.
I am a Commonwealth citizen; can I apply for British nationality?Toggle
Being born in a Commonwealth country does not grant an automatic right to British citizenship. A careful analysis of the family history would be necessary to establish any entitlement to an Ancestry visa, with a possible naturalisation application in due course.
I obtained the Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme; can I apply for British nationality?Toggle
People with Settled Status are often eligible for British nationality. However, various conditions apply including spending at least 185 days in the UK in each 12-month period before making an ILR application in Year 5.
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