How to Get an English Citizenship or a Work Visa
Two separate issues are brought up in this question. The first is the right to work in the United Kingdom, and the second is how to be granted citizenship, which in return would give the right to work in the UK. The UK once had regulations that were easier on Commonwealth of Nations but harder on nations that now make up the European Union (EU) and European Economic Community (EEC). Things have changed a lot since then.
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Instructions
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Check out the British government website in the reference section and see which category you fall into. Those who recently graduated from a UK university may seek work without a permit. The same goes for highly skilled workers, entrepreneurs and investors. However, highly skilled workers will have to pass a point system, which is based on various criteria and can be found in detail on the British government website.
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Get a sponsor. These are actually easy permits to get. Almost anyone from anywhere who works for a company that sees them as essential can apply and sponsor you to work in the UK. The catch is you do not have freedom to go look for any job; rather, you must stay at the job for which you were sponsored. After a certain number of years, you are free to seek other work and have, for all practical purposes, permanent residency and a work permit.
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Apply for a "work-holiday" visa if you are Australian, Canadian, Monegasque (from Monaco) or a New Zealander. You must meet minimum eligibility requirements such as being under 31, have no dependents under 18 and can prove you have £1,600.00. Your maximum stay can only be 24 months, and you must not have already applied under this scheme.
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Apply if you are intending on opening your own business. The UK even allows a sole proprietor to apply under this rule. Others that fall under this area are members of any kind of press. Newspaper, television and magazine reporters all are essentially eligible for a work and residence permit under UK law.
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Simply register with the authorities if you are an EU citizen. Once you register, you may seek a job and have the right to live and work and even vote in local elections (not national). The same goes for EEC citizens such as from Switzerland and Norway. Citizens of newer EU countries may need to specially register to enter the UK and seek employment as per agreements signed when the last wave of EU countries were admitted.
Turkish citizens are a special case as they, too, can benefit from a special agreement with the EU, enabling them to work in the UK with relative ease or remain in the UK if they are already legally working in the UK.
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Fill out the appropriate form found on the British government website if you have at least one grandparent born in the UK. You must secure a birth certificate and prove that your grandparent was indeed born in UK to take advantage of this, so be prepared with the documents needed and submit these to your local British Embassy.
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Download the appropriate application for citizenship if you fall into other categories. Those born in British territories or to British parents may be able to apply for citizenship under certain conditions, depending on where they were born and when. Consult the British government website for conditions and submit the appropriate forms to the Home Office or to your local British Embassy.
Children under 18 who have lived five consecutive years in the UK or adults with five consecutive years of living in the UK on a permanent visa may apply for British citizenship. Adult "character" and "intent to stay" in the UK are requirements that you will need to meet. There are conditional situations in which discretionary citizenship may be granted, but these are rare.
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Tips & Warnings
Going home even for just six months can jeopardize your ability to gain citizenship; the five years must be consecutive.
Do not get arrested or in trouble with the law; that will certainly almost guarantee you lose your chance at citizenship.
References
- Photo Credit uk flag image by kolesn from Fotolia.com
