You can be a British national by birth or by application for naturalization if you are 18 or older. After you have received your permanent residence status, you can work, live, and study in the country permanently without any immigration controls. You also do not need to worry about losing your status if you go abroad on trips or have long stays abroad. However, you must not have any criminal record or violate any immigration rules.

If you want to know how to apply for British citizenship, then keep reading. 

Supporting Documents for British Citizenship Application 

One must provide a detailed collection of documents to comply with the residency requirements of the United Kingdom. This is necessary because the Home Office needs to determine the credibility aspect of your case. 

To acquire British citizenship, the following should be submitted to the Home Office:

• Proof of your identity and your residence status, examples include your birth certificate, passport, or any other valid form of travel document. 

• Proof of your last immigration status and permission to stay in the UK, including any form of visa breezing in before your settlement in the UK.

• Your e-visa details, Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), or any proof for holding Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK or EU Settled Status.

• An English Language and Comprehensive Knowledge of Life in the UK test. Once you finish the ESOL and the Life in the UK Test, you will be provided with a valid pass certificate. If you have earlier completed the Life in the UK Test from where you were able to gain Indefinite Leave to Remain, the test is not going to be retaken anymore.

• Kindly furnish travel history which covers any slice of time spent out of the United Kingdom. To demonstrate that you have not been out of the UK longer than the requisite 450 days, a claimant must have been living in the UK for five years or acquired a reasonable belief in becoming entitled to indefinite leave to remain by a particular route.

• Proof demonstrating lawful residency within the United Kingdom during the qualifying period. All the times you lived in the UK, you will have been in full observance of all of the immigration laws.

• Provide evidence to show that you are free from Immigration time restrictions in the UK. You must also demonstrate that you have ILR in the UK.

• Possession of documents showing that the treaty rights have been exercised by the applicant within the last 3 or 5 years according to the immigration status. For this, he can provide letters from their current employer, bank statements, or letters from the institution at which the applicant has been educated.

• You must satisfy the good character requirement, and you must not have violated any of the UK's immigration laws.
  
  

Depending on the circumstances of your case, you may be required to provide additional documentation in support of your application.

Requirements for British Citizenship Application

The requirements to apply for Naturalisation according to the British Nationality Act are as follows: 

• One must be at least 18 years of age.

• Not have more than 450 days spent outside the United Kingdom in a continuous residence of not less than 5 years.

• One must possess an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

• Pass the Life in the UK test that shows your understanding of fundamental British traditions, customs, and culture.

• One must provide a referee in a British Citizenship Application

• Meet the English language requirement to B1 level as per CEFR, unless exempted.

• Your history must not involve any violation of any UK immigration rules.

• Demonstrate Good Character Requirement.
  
  

Life in the UK Test

It is also known as the British Citizenship Test consisting of 24 questions related to British history, culture, and customs, which all British citizens should know. All the questions are derived from the information available in the Life in the UK Handbook offered by the Home Office. The minimum percentage mark to pass this test is 75 percent which is necessary to be cleared by all of those who wish to enter the UK for settlement.

If you have made an application for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK under one of its categories, and you already had to live for one year after that application was approved, then you won't be subjected to the British Naturalization requirements anymore either.

You can book your test through an online booking system. Bookings must be done a minimum of 3 days earlier, ensuring only the closeness to where you live of which you have to select from the five centres closest to your home.

English Language Requirements

To become a citizen of Britain, you must meet other requirements such as you will need to demonstrate knowledge of the English language.

Students should have qualifications from an English test, at least at a 'B1' level-level qualification, or better from an approved test center. Only those who have been certified by ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) are accepted for UKVI. Qualifications like NVQs or GCSEs are not admissible as proof of the said requirement.

Many test qualifications have a validity of only 2 years, though the Home Office will accept an expired certificate as evidence if it was accepted as satisfactory for applying under another UK immigration category or time when you settled, gained ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain), or received an EU Settled Status. 

Conclusion 

The fees for British citizenship are non-refundable even if your application is refused. This makes it essential to hire an immigration solicitor. They are well-versed with the immigration laws and regulations making it easier to apply successfully. Make sure to provide all relevant documents and meet all Eligibility requirements of the Home Office.