Naturalisation as a British Citizen
The best way to ensure your rights while living in the UK, is to obtain the British citizenship. You can do so if you have ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain), PR (Permanent Residence) or settled status (except for the EEA Settled Status).
You would need to fulfil the following requirements:
- You are at least 18 years old
- You do not have a serious criminal record; you have not deceived the Home Office and you have not breached immigration rules within the last 10 years
- You have passed the Life in the UK Test and met the English language requirements
- You have met the residency requirements
- You have not spent over 450 days outside the UK during the 5 years of required residency and over 90 days within the last 12 months
If your spouse is British, this may help your application in certain circumstances.
If successful, you will need to attend a citizenship ceremony, during which you will receive your Certificate of Naturalisation. You will need it when applying for a British passport.