Nationality Checking Service
Nationality Checking
Service is undertaken at our Worcester Office.
What is the Nationality Checking
Service?
The Nationality Checking Service is a partnership between the
Home Office Border & Immigration Agency and some local
council’s in England and Wales. Worcestershire County Council
offers an optional service to those applicants who wish to take
advantage of it.
For a modest fee, we will check that applications for British
nationality are completed correctly and have been submitted with
all the necessary supporting documents and the correct fee.
We will photocopy and certify valuable documents such as
passports and will forward applications to the Home Office by
special delivery post. Applications of this type can often be dealt
with more quickly than those which turn out to be incomplete.
Applicants using this service will be able to keep their
passports and other valuable documents rather than be required to
send them to the Home Office.
Will the Council give me advice about nationality?
The Council will not be able to provide advice on nationality
matters. If you require advice locally, you can contact the
Nationality Helpdesk on 0845 010 5200.
Lines are open from 08.30 until 18.00 Monday to Friday.
Will my application get processed more
quickly?
The time it takes the Home Office to deal with an application
varies according to individual circumstances and other factors,
including the number of applications under consideration at a
particular time.
However, complete and accurate applications are dealt with, on
average, more quickly than those that are incomplete or which
require further enquiries.
Do I
have to pay for the checking service?
These fees will be effective from 18th January 2010.
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to ask a member of
staff.
Payment for the Nationality Checking Service can only by
accepted by cheque (accompanied by a valid guarantee card),
credit/debit card or cash. Please make cheques payable to
”Worcestershire County Council”.
Please note the Home Office Fee is only payable by cheque or
card payment.
On providing the Nationality Checking Service to members of the
public and upon payment of the above fee (s), a receipt will be
issued with each transaction.
- Adult who submits a single application pays one fee
£40.00
- Husband and wife living together who apply at the same time pay
one fee £65.00
- Husband and wife (and up to 2 children)
£85.00
- Additional children on parents application -
£20.00 per child (e.g. based on 4 children
£125.00)
- One or more children under the age of 18 who apply separately
from their parents - £20.00 per child
Do I have to use the Worcestershire County
Council checking service?
No. The service is entirely optional and just gives you greater
freedom of choice. You can still make application yourself direct
to the Home Office or use a solicitor or other agent if you
wish.
What happens when I use the checking
service?
You will make an appointment with our Citizenship Advisors on
0845 603 2859. When you visit, staff will:
- help you to complete your application form for British
nationality or they will check that you have completed it
properly;
- check that you have paid the correct fee;
- check that all necessary accompanying documents have been
enclosed;
- and they will photocopy any valuable documents that need
to be considered by the Home Office, certifying that they are true
copies.
They will then send the application, fee and copies to the Home
Office for consideration. They will return your valuable documents
such as passports straight away so that you are not parted from
them. This will provide peace of mind and enable you to travel, if
you need to, whilst your application is being processed.
Our advisors will not:
- act as agents for you - our officer involvement is complete
when the application is sent to the Home Office
- offer any advice on nationality, other than in respect of the
correct completion of the application form
- offer any advice on matters such as visas, immigration or
asylum
Do
all local authorities provide this service?
No. It is up to each council whether they wish to provide the
service and this will probably depend on how many citizenship
applications they have each year in their area. However, if you
live in an area that does not provide a checking service you can
submit your application to any participating local authority.
How do I get a citizenship application
form?
Application forms and advice leaflets can be obtained from
Worcestershire County Council Citizenship Advisors, in person, or
by post. They can also be obtained from the Home Office website or
from Nationality Group direct.
Contact:
Nationality Checking Service
Register Office,
County Hall
Spetchley Road
Worcester, WR5 2NP
Tel: 0845 603 2859
Fax: 01905 765355
Email: registeroffice@worcestershire.gov.uk
How do I know Worcestershire County Council
is competent to offer the checking service?
The Citizenship Advisors are registered with the Office of the
Immigration Service Commissioner, an independent body established
by Parliament, which regulates organisations offering services of
this kind.
What do I do if I want to complain about the
service I receive?
If your complaint relates to the attitude or level of customer
service provided by Worcestershire County Council you should direct
your complaint through the Worcestershire County Council Complaints
procedure.
A copy of the Complaints leaflet is available from the Register
Office, County Hall, or via our website www.worcestershire.gov.uk.
Alternatively if your complaint relates to the quality of the
advice you have been given and the professional competence of an
officer employed by Worcestershire County Council, you can make
your complaint in writing to:
Office of the Immigration Service Commissioner
Complaints Section
5th Floor
Counting House
53 Tooley Street
London
SE1 2QN
Details are also available on the OISC website at: http://www.oisc.gov.uk/
Disclaimer:
Using the NCS does not mean that your application will receive
preferential treatment at the Home Office. However, if your
application is complete in every detail, it is more likely to be
completed quickly than otherwise.
The fees charged by the local councils for administering the NCS
are a matter for them rather than the Home Office. Any complaint or
comments about the service or the fees should be directed to
Worcestershire County Council.
Use of the NCS does not guarantee that an application will be
successful. Nor does it guarantee that further enquiries will not
have to be made.
The Home Office reserves the right to make any enquiries it sees
fit in considering a nationality application. Information may be
shared with other government agencies where it is necessary for
them to carry out their functions.
Earned Citizenship
Please note that proposed changes to the way people become
British citizens will not be introduced until late 2010. Until then
existing arrangements for naturalisation will continue.
The following information is reproduced from a Home Office
information flyer:
Naturalising as a British citizen in the
future
What are the proposed changes?
On 20th February 2008 the Government published the Green Paper
'The path to Citizenship: Next Steps in Reforming the Immigration
System'. In this document we outlined our proposals for changing
the way that someone can become a British citizen or remain here as
a permanent resident. These proposals are collectively called
'Earned Citizenship'. Under these proposals migrants will be
expected to pass through three key stages and demonstrate certain
requirements. Our aim is to make the journey clearer, simpler and
easier for migrants and the public to understand.
The three stages are:
1) Temporary residence.
2) Probationary citizenship.
3) British citizenship/permanent residence.
Further information on the implementation of the proposed
changes will be announced following parliamentary approval in 2009.
Existing arrangements for naturalisation will continue until these
proposals come into effect.
Please follow the Border and Immigration Agency
link for the UKBA website and further information.
Useful information
Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) helpline:
0845 000 0046
Other useful websites can be found by following the links
below.
Related information
This page was last reviewed 7 February 2012 at 18:43.
The page is next due for review 5 August 2013.