Citizenship and Living in the UK

When looking for a number of countries around the world in which it would be nice to live in, the United Kingdom would be among the top rated ones. It is a wonderful place to be in. It is also a place where you have the feel of living a good life. It is no wonder that there are many people who wish to be citizens of the United Kingdom and thereby live there. First of all, what does it mean to be a citizen of a Country?

Citizenship in a country means living in a Country legally, freedom to work full time, having all the rights, entitlement to all benefits from the government, ability to participate in national elections, purchase a property, obtain the national passport, live in the Country permanently, and a lot more. These are what you will benefit if you are a citizen of UK. Now, let us consider what is involved in obtaining the citizenship of the United Kingdom.

• You can become a citizen in the United Kingdom by registration or by naturalization. In opting for option of naturalization, you must fulfill the following requirements.
• You must be over 18 years of age.
• You should be of good moral standing and well behaved.
• You would be required to prove your knowledge of the English language.
• You should have in mind to continue living in the United Kingdom.
• You must have completed exactly five years in the United Kingdom before the date you choose to apply. NOTE: During the course of the five year period, you are allowed to be out of the United Kingdom for a maximum period of 450 days. Also, for the last 12 months of your 5 year period, you are allowed to be absent only for 90 days.

During your 5 year stay in the United Kingdom, you are expected to have obeyed the laws and orders of the Government. If it is noticed that you have broken any of the immigration laws, your application will be rejected out rightly.

Since November 1st, 2005, a new law was put in place that all prospective applicants for a British Citizenship should take the Life in the United Kingdom test and have to pass it.

Moreover, another way to become a citizen of the United Kingdom is through marriage. As a foreigner married to a British Citizen, it is an avenue to become a citizen of the United Kingdom also. However, certain requirements have to be attained too. The applicant is expected to have lived in the UK for a minimum duration of 3 years. If you have any cause to be away from the UK, you are expected to spend a maximum of 270 days outside the UK. But within the last 12 months of the 3 years, you should spend no more than 90 days outside the UK.

The UK government has in place a way of becoming a citizen as an investor. Foreigners are allowed to invest in the UK economy and as a result, can apply for citizenship. You have the opportunity to apply for permanent residence after staying 5 years in the United Kingdom.

With above explanations, becoming a UK citizen is not all that difficult. But, you must be ready to meet all the requirements.