British citizenship is a cherished dream for many people. That's just getting it pretty hard. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - these states are part of the UK, and if you want to get there, and then become a citizen of any country, you will have to try. And be patient.
Business immigration
You should start with this topic. Many people wonder whether it is possible to obtain British citizenship if it is possible to conduct their own business in this country: as an individual entrepreneur, partner or representative of a company. If this company is registered in the country, then a person has a chance to immigrate. But only subject to certain conditions.
First, he must have at least £ 200,000 to invest in his UK business. At the current rate, this is about 17 million rubles. Secondly, a person’s income should be such as to enable him to support himself and his family, if any, during his stay in the state. And thirdly, he will not be allowed to get a job as an employee. He is obliged to direct all the money and effort to business development.
After 5 years of successful existence of the company in the UK, a person can apply for a so-called perpetual residence permit. By the way, those artists, artists or writers who have lived and worked in this state still have this right.
Investor visa
Such a concept also has a place to be. This is not a way to obtain UK citizenship, but a permit for investment within the state. But a person should have at least a million pounds in free access. This is 85,000,000 rubles. Of these, about 64 million will need to be invested in the purchase of shares and bonds.
Another investor visa can be granted to the sole entrepreneur, who is a representative of any company from abroad. But there is a condition. In the UK there should not be a single branch of this company, and the representative must have significant authority to negotiate and make certain decisions in the state.
If you buy a property?
It is worth noting that if a person decided to buy an apartment in England or elsewhere, this would not give him the right to be considered a citizen of such a state as Great Britain. Accommodation, of course, is possible, but not on an ongoing basis. Property owners are not privileged if you look at this issue in terms of immigration laws.
Ways to get what you want.
In any case, you will have to obtain the right to permanent residence and citizenship. How? There are several options. A person has the right to this if he has been a legal spouse or permanent partner of a British citizen for two years. Marriage does not have to be official. Entry permission is granted for six months. During this time, the immigrant must enter into either a civil or official marriage.
Another condition is that for 5 years a person must be in the state as an investor, creative person, undertake, work with permission, an exchange foreigner, a relative of the British, etc.
There is another option that makes it possible to obtain a residence permit. A person must live for 10 years in the state on visas that do not have an immigration character. And finally, the last way to obtain British citizenship. A person can gain a residence permit if he lived illegally for 14 years in the territory of the state. However, this fact must be documented.
Naturalization
This is the most common method by resorting to which you can obtain British citizenship. True, it is available only to those people who have overcome the first stage. Namely, they got Indefinite leave to remain (the notorious residence permit). The standard requirement is to live in the country for another year after obtaining a residence permit. An exception may be made only to spouses of citizens of England, Ireland, Wales or Scotland. They simply have to live in the state for five years after applying for a visa. Previously, until mid-2012, this period was shorter - 36 months.
You can apply for citizenship (naturalization) if a person has lived in the country a year before he was issued a conjugal visa.
Documentation
In order to obtain the coveted UK passport, you need to know what documents will have to be provided. Firstly, you need a questionnaire with detailed information about the candidate. Everything should be there - starting with your full name. and ending with occupation.
Also needed are characteristics from government agencies. You can become a “British” only if you honor the law, avoid any violations, pay taxes and, in general, be a decent, adequate person. That is why you still have to get an opinion from a psychiatrist to put it with the rest of the documents. This is a prerequisite.
Information about the time a person spent in the country should also be documented. It is also important to provide data on guarantors who are British. And the "reviews" (recommendations) that they will write about the candidate. However, they should not be relatives of the applicant. And they must know the person for at least 3 years. Both Britons must be specialists in any field. And over 25 years old.
What else needs to be provided?
Of course, in addition to the above papers, many more documents will be required. First, you need an apostille stamp. This is a mark confirming the legality of the submitted documents.
Secondly, you need to provide a passport in which there must be a glued-in card of a permanent resident. You also need a birth and marriage certificate (this is if a person receives citizenship through marital ties). If there are children - be sure to provide information about them. A letter from the employer is also desirable. It is not necessary, but if there is one, then it will be a good recommendation. This document means that the candidate is able to provide for himself outside the territory of his homeland. Bank statement is also desirable.
You also need to provide the results of an exam on knowledge of the history and culture of the UK. And a paper showing that the candidate successfully passed the English level test. And the last two documents are biometric data (fingerprints and a digital photo) with a receipt of the payment of the state duty.
The final stage
As you can see, getting a coveted UK passport is very difficult. First, a temporary residence permit, then extended, and then, finally, the last stage. And it is as follows.
When all documents have been submitted, the application is considered accepted. It can be considered for six months. If all conditions are met, the commission takes a positive decision, and the applicant is called to take the Oath of allegiance to the British monarch.
After he does this, he will be given a certificate of naturalization. And this paper is becoming the main document allowing a person to obtain a UK passport.
Tests
Well, if everything is more or less clear with the conditions and documents, then it’s worth talking about the tests in more detail. Without knowledge of the language and culture of the state, it is impossible to obtain a residence permit in the UK.
So, the language. To prove your English, you need to provide a diploma of study. And the results of their knowledge. To do this, an English level test is taken, after which a person is assigned a qualification. Levels C2, C1, B2 and B1 are considered internationally recognized. Category C2 is considered the best. This is an almost perfect knowledge of the language.
Qualifications are confirmed by ESOL or ESOL Entry 3/2/1 certification.
But, in addition to language, you still need to take a test on knowledge of life in the UK. This is the next step. There are 24 questions in this test. In total, it’s true that there are four hundred, and they will need to be learned, but at the exam itself 24 will be chosen arbitrarily. 3-4 answers are proposed along with the question. 45 minutes are given for passing the test. It is considered passed if 75% of the answers are correct. The result becomes known as soon as a person clicks on the “answer” button in the last question. If he managed to pass, then a letter is issued testifying to this. It will need to be attached to all other documents when applying for citizenship. Retake of such a test is possible every 7 days.
Job
British employers are interested in attracting worthy professionals who could be useful to them. And if a person considers himself as such, then he can look for a place for employment in this state. Having found an employer who agrees to help with obtaining a permit to carry out professional activities, you can get a visa. Special - working. She can be issued for up to four years. Only you need to remember that changing the type of activity will not work. Will have to work only in a certain area. If, for example, a person left to work as a journalist, but a year later he decided to get a school to teach Russian (this subject really exists in some places), then he will not succeed even if he has the qualification of a “teacher” in a diploma.
By the way, family members of a person who wants to leave to work in the UK can also give a visa. True, he will have to prove that he is able to contain them. And initially a visa will be issued for him for 12 months. If he manages to get a job and establish himself well, then the permit to stay and work in the country will be extended.
By the way, it is worth noting that most often doctors from other countries are invited to the UK. This industry is considered the most attractive, if we talk about foreign specialists.
Training
Another option to take a few steps closer to obtaining British citizenship is to go to study at one of the state universities. First, local university diplomas are recognized worldwide. And you can get a job with them anywhere. But there is also one caveat. It is quite difficult to do there.
To begin with, it is recommended to get a university for taking English courses. There are almost every university. And it will turn out better to prepare for admission.
It is also good that a student visa is provided for the entire duration of the study. And this is 4 years (undergraduate). Plus a magistracy - 1 year. And if you recall that in order to obtain a residence permit it is necessary to live in the UK just five years after obtaining a visa, then this period of study becomes a clear plus.
True, to get an education at a British university, you will have to save up money. Both to pay for training, and to provide all your needs, from accommodation, meals, and ending with the purchase of office supplies. By the way, the student has the right to work 20 hours a week. And also, if he shows himself well in the learning process, he can be given a scholarship and even a grant.
In general, as you can see, British citizenship is difficult to obtain, but possible. If you comply with all the necessary conditions for this.