British Citizenship by Marriage for Canadians

The marriage-based route depends on your relationship with a British citizen. You must be married to, or in a civil partnership with, a British citizen on the date of your application. A relationship alone is not enough.

You must also be aged 18 or over, have lived in the UK for at least three years before the date of your application, and already hold indefinite leave to remain (ILR), settled status or indefinite leave to enter. You can apply as soon as you hold one of these, with no 12-month wait. Applications made before you meet these conditions are likely to be refused.

Page Contents

• Who Can Apply for British Citizenship by Marriage?
• Requirements
• Residential Requirements
• Life in the UK Test
• Evidence of Good Character
• Referees
• Documents
• Fees
• Application Timeline
• Application Process
• Biometric Enrolment
• Citizenship Ceremony
• How Total Law Can Help
• FAQ

When applying for UK citizenship by marriage, you will need to show that you meet the application requirements. These include:

• Indefinite leave to remain (ILR), settled status or indefinite leave to enter, held on the date of your application
• Three years of lawful residence in the UK, with no more than 270 days outside the UK in that time and no more than 90 days in the last 12 months
• Physical presence in the UK exactly three years before the Home Office receives your application
• Sufficient knowledge of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic (Canadian nationals are exempt from needing to provide evidence of this)
• Successful completion of the official ‘Life in the UK’ test
• Evidence of good character

When applying to become a UK citizen you will need to show that you can understand and integrate into British customs and culture.

To do so you will need to pass the Life in the UK test, which is computer-based and taken at one of over 30 official test centres. The test costs £50 per attempt and you must book it online at least three days in advance. You will be asked for ID, such as a share code for your eVisa or a valid passport.

The test has 24 questions, which you must answer in 45 minutes. You need at least 75% (18 correct answers) to pass. All questions come from the official handbook, ‘Life in the UK: A Guide for New Residents’. If you fail, you can book as many further tests as you need, paying each time. When you apply, you give your test reference number on the form and do not normally send the certificate.

You must be of good character, which means you must observe UK laws and show respect for the rights and freedoms of its citizens. The Home Office will check the information you provide, including with other government departments such as HM Revenue and Customs.

You must declare:

• All criminal convictions in the UK and overseas, and any cautions, fines, civil orders or other penalties, including drink driving. Fixed penalty notices, for example for speeding or parking, must also be disclosed but are not normally taken into account unless you failed to pay and there were criminal proceedings, or you received several in a short time
• Any involvement in terrorism or international crimes
• Your financial position, including unpaid tax or National Insurance, bankruptcy, failure to pay council tax, fraud involving public funds, and any unpaid NHS debt of £500 or more
• Any deception in your dealings with the Home Office or other government departments
• Any breaches of immigration law. Applications are normally refused if you entered the UK illegally or arrived without valid entry clearance after making a dangerous journey

You must also tell the Home Office if you are arrested or charged after you apply. An untruthful declaration can lead to refusal without a refund, to your citizenship being taken away and to prosecution.

You will need the endorsement of two referees who have each known you for at least three years.

One referee can be of any nationality but must be a professional person, such as a minister of religion, a civil servant or a member of a professional body like an accountant or solicitor (but not your own representative). The other referee must hold a British citizen passport and be either a professional person or over the age of 25.

Referees must not be related to you or to each other, must not be your solicitor or agent, and must not be employed by the Home Office. The Home Office will not usually accept a referee who has been convicted of an imprisonable offence in the last 10 years. Providing false information as a referee is a criminal offence.

Before starting your application you should make sure that you are ready to provide all required documents to prove your identity, marriage and eligibility. At a glance, these include:

• Valid identification, such as your passport, together with your BRP (even if expired) if you were issued one
• Your spouse’s or civil partner’s current passport or naturalisation or registration certificate, to show they are a British citizen
• Evidence of marriage or civil partnership, such as a marriage certificate
• Evidence that you are free from immigration time restrictions, such as your 16-digit unique application number (UAN), an eVisa share code or your ILR document
• Evidence of three years of residence, including your passports and details of all absences
• Your Life in the UK test reference number
• Contact details of two referees
• Your Canadian passport, which shows you are exempt from the English language requirement

Allow our team of experts to make the process of obtaining a British citizenship by marriage easier. Contact us today on +1 844 312 4979.

While the exact costs of the UK naturalization process may vary based on your circumstances, you should expect to pay the following fees:

• £50 to book your Life in the UK test
• £1,839 application fee including application fee and biometrics (if required) of £1,709 and a citizenship ceremony fee (£130) charged at the time of application.

While the cost for your citizenship ceremony is included in your application, you should expect to pay more if you want to book a private event.

While exact times may vary, the Home Office aims to decide naturalisation applications within 6 months of receiving them. If your application is likely to take longer, you will be told before the 6 months have passed. You may be able to pay for the priority service, which usually gives a decision within 30 working days. Check GOV.UK for the current fee and eligibility.

Once you have submitted your application you will usually need to enrol your biometric details within 45 days. If you do not, your application will be invalid.

Successful applicants from Canada must attend a citizenship ceremony within 90 days of receiving their invitation. After the ceremony, you must destroy any BRP you hold.

Once you have submitted your application you will be asked to submit your biometric details at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point, where your fingerprints will be scanned and a picture of your face will be taken. There is no fee for this, and the Home Office may be able to re-use biometrics you provided in earlier applications.

It is important that you do this within 45 days of submitting your application, as your application will otherwise be invalid.

If your application is successful, the Home Office will send you an invitation to attend a citizenship ceremony. If you have applied online this will usually be sent by email. The invitation names the local authority you should contact to book your ceremony, and you will usually be allowed to bring two guests. You must attend within 90 days of receiving the invitation, or your application will be refused and you will need to apply again. You must also have valid immigration permission until you have attended your ceremony.

During the ceremony, you will be asked to swear or affirm an oath of allegiance to the monarch and make a pledge to respect the rights, freedoms and laws of the UK. This is the point at which you become a British citizen, and you will be presented with your certificate of British citizenship.

If you hold a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or Biometric Residence Card, you must destroy it after your ceremony by cutting it into pieces, making sure you cut through your personal details, the royal coat of arms and the gold chip.

You cannot use your naturalisation certificate, BRP or eVisa to enter the UK as a British citizen. To travel, you will need a British passport or a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode, so check how long these take to obtain before you book travel.