Those with refugee status and subsidiary protection may not apply for naturalisation as a British citizen until they have been in receipt of Indefinite Leave to Remain (settlement leave) for 12 months.[1] They are subject to the same test of ‘good character’ as other applicants and must pass a ‘Life in the UK’ test and meet the requirements for English language proficiency.[2] There is also a fee, which from 8 April 2026 is £1,709 (EUR 1,952) for the naturalisation application and £130 (EUR 149) for citizenship ceremony.[3]
The requirements that a person be of good character specifically refer to applicants who previously entered the UK unlawfully i.e. through evading immigration control.[4] The previous position was that where unlawful entry happened in the previous ten years, the application would normally be refused.[5] On 10 February 2025 the guidance was amended to remove the ten year limit, so that anyone applying on or after that date who has entered the UK without permission will normally have their citizenship application refused.[6] The Refugee Council estimated in February 2025 that 71,000 people in the UK who had already been granted asylum would may be affected.[7] This number will have since increased as more people are granted status. The guidance change is subject to legal challenges and a hearing is listed for June 2026.[8]
Applications for naturalisation are made to the Home Office. There are no time limits for decisions to be made. The main obstacle is the fees.[9]
In 2025 there were 166,482 grants of British citizenship following a naturalisation application.[10]
[1] British Nationality Act 1981, sch 1, para 1(2)(c), available here.
[2] UK government, ‘Apply for citizenship if you have indefinite leave to remain or ‘settled status’’, accessed 27 March 2026, available here.
[3] Home Office, Immigration and Nationality fees, available here.
[4] Home Office, Naturalisation as a British citizen: caseworker guidance, 11 November 2025, available here.
[5] Home Office, Naturalisation as a British citizen: caseworker guidance, 11 November 2025, available here.
[6] Home Office, ‘Good character: caseworker guidance’, 13 February 2025, available here.
[7] House of Lords debate, ‘Refugee Citizenship Rights’, 1 July 2025, available here.
[8] Wilsons Solicitors, , ‘Update on ‘good character’ guidance judicial review’, 28 July 2025, available here.
[9] UK government, ‘Apply for citizenship if you have indefinite leave to remain or ‘settled status’’, accessed 27 March 2026, available here.
[10] Home Office, ‘Immigration system statistics data tables, Citizenship summary tables, year ending December 2025’, table Cit_01, available here.