This page provides details of what you can expect from the Home Office while they process your application and what the Home Office expects from you.

The Home Office will acknowledge that they have received your application. This will be done as soon as possible but during busy times it may take up to four weeks.

If they need more documents to help them decide your application, the Home Office will write to you and ask for them. Home Office will give you three weeks to respond. If you do not respond, the Home Office will decide your application on the information they already have.

The Home Office may ask you to attend an interview, which could be conducted by the police or other representative. Depending on the circumstances, the interview may be held in your home, or you may be invited to attend an interview at the office in Liverpool. During the interview, you will be asked to give more details about your application. You will be expected to talk without an interpreter.

If your application is unsuccessful the Home Office will write to tell you the reason. You can ask the Home Office to review our decision if you think the decision was not soundly based on current nationality law or policy. If you ask the Home Office to review their decision, they will write to you again after this has been done, giving details on how your application was decided.

The Home Office will expect you to respond to our enquiries or requests for documents within a reasonable time.

While they are processing your application, you should inform the Home Office if any of the information you have sent to them changes. This would include changes of:

§               marital or civil partnership status; or

§               address; or

§               people acting on your behalf.

You also need to inform the Home Office if you become involved in a police investigation or anything that may result in criminal charges.

If your application is successful and you are living in the United Kingdom, you will be invited to attend a citizenship ceremony. You will receive a letter of invitation from the Home Office confirming the local authority you should contact to arrange your ceremony. You should arrange your ceremony within three months of receiving your invitation otherwise you will have to reapply for naturalisation and pay a further processing fee.