AbzDabz

Hello all,

I'm looking for advice before my family and I move to the uk the end of May this year. I don't want to make any mistakes.

Here's some background information first.

I moved over to Montreal Canada from the uk 12 years ago after marrying my Canadian husband. During this time I have obtained Canadian citizenship and we have 2 very young children who have dual citizenship (British/Canadian).

My husband also has dual citizenship Canadian and Portuguese.

Am I right in thinking that we can enter the U.K. with our British passports and Portuguese passport without any problems?

If so, we would then like to start the process of my husband eventually gaining British citizenship (even if he has to give up his Portuguese citizenship). What would be the first step in the process?

I'll appreciate any advice or tips, as there could be things I've not even took into consideration.

Thanks!!

Abby

BritInParis

Correct.

No need to give up either his Portuguese or Canadian citizenship when naturalising as a British citizen as all three countries permit dual nationality.

As an EU/EEA citizen your husband will need to be working within three months of arrival to qualify for residence. He should apply for his EU residence card as soon as he can after he starts working. The fee is £65. Bear in mind this can take up to six months to issue so you should plan accordingly.

After five years of working in the UK he will automatically become a permanent resident. At this point he should apply for his EU permanent residence card. Again this can take up to six months to issue and currently costs £65.

As soon as his permanent residence is confirmed then he can apply to naturalise as a British citizen. The current fee is £1236 although this is likely to rise over the next five years. His Canadian passport will act as proof of his English language ability so no need for any further evidence on that front but he will need to complete his Life in the UK Test. This can be done at any time and does not expire so it would be worth doing in the final year before he gets his PR. The cost is currently £50.

It's worth applying through a Nationality Checking Service if it is offered by your council. They will check your application and supporting documents to ensure it is complete before sending it off and crucially they will make copies of your original documents including your passports to allow you to keep those rather than be without for several months during the application process.

If the application is successful then your husband will be invited to a citizenship ceremony at his local council offices where he swear/pledge allegiance to the Queen and the United Kingdom. At the end of the ceremony he will be presented with his Certificate of Naturalisation as a British Citizen and henceforth be a British citizen. After that it's just a matter of applying for his British passport.

AbzDabz

Sorry for the delay in responding. Thank you so much for the information, it's given me a clearer idea of what we need to do.

HKG3

Abby

Are you planning to get Portuguese citizenship for your two children?