nationality help please

stephie6

I will try not to go on too much! but I appear to have a bit of a problem with confirming my nationality.I have lived in Britain since I was 9 months old but was born in America and came to the country on my mothers passport. I have been to school here and worked here through out my 27 years of life .The problem I have now is when I have been invited for job interviews I am required to provide a some i.d from a list of documents and i do not have any of them as far as I have been aware after reading all of the home office website! I qualify as a British citizen but without the paperwork I can't get a job! the evidence i need involves me getting hold of the passport i came into the country on and my mothers birth certificate of which the latter just seems like an impossible task.Any help would be appreciated.

cmw1212

Is your mother British or American?

stephie6

my mother is British

Tiddlywinks

Do you have a national insurance number? If yes, then why does an employer need to confirm nationality?

If not, then how have you been paying tax for the last few years that you've been working?

Do you not have your own birth certificate? UK citizens born in the US can be registered at the British embassy over there so there should be British docs somewhere.

Getting copy birth certificates is easy - either here or in the US - you can order them online. See the General Register Officer website for more info.

Emmzi

a UK passprt should also do you fine - yes it'll cost to get one but seems like a wise investment. Have you been for a chat at the passport office for help?

smartpicture

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Do you have a national insurance number? If yes, then why does an employer need to confirm nationality?

A NI number is not enough to prove your nationality - in fact, the rules specifically state you can't use it for that purpose. Employers are now legally obliged to check employees status to prove they are not illegal immigrants, or the employer can be fined, and there is a very specific list of what constitutes proof.

I would agree though that if you think you are entitled to a British passport, applying for one would solve most of your problems. Although without wanting to worry you, please be certain, as there have been cases of people living in this country for decades and then being threatened with deportations because they shouldn't officially be here.

Starrystarrynight

I think the employer is confirming your right to work in this country rather than just nationality.
Maybe it would be worth having a check on the UK Border Agency website to see if there is any advice for your situation.

callow

Last year I became a British Citizen through my English mother. I had previously been living here with a Right of Abode. I am Australian. When I was 4 I did visit the UK on my mother's passport but I was told that didn't mean I was a British Citizen.

You can get British citizenship though your mother. It is the UKM form and it costs £550. It does mean that any children you have will not be British citizens unless born in Britian. You only need to supply your birth certificate and your mum's birth certificate, plus any passports if you have them. You need to attend a citizenship ceremony before getting your certificate.

You could also get Naturalization for £735 but you would need to pass the British citizenship test and provide a lot of evidence of you life in the UK.

If you know where your mum was born, and roughly the year and time you can get a copy of her birth certificate from the local registery office.

The whole the process took me about 6 months from first application to gaining a passport. PM me if you need further help.

Good luck

pinkshoes

Surely you were registered as a British citizen in the US when you were born? My OH was born in the Caribbean to English parents, and lived there until he was about 2, but he has a UK passport and was registered as a UK citizen.

stephie6

Thank you all for you comments and advice I can't apply for a passport as it claims i cannot acquire British citizenship from my mother if born outside the UK before 1983 but the home office website says I can claim citizenship from my mother. I don't have any idea about being registered in the us as a British citizen i was just a baby! I will have to start the process of trying to get the documents i need and apply for some confirmation from the home office. Although i was secretly hoping for a quick cheap option there doesn't appear to be one I am so gutted I had three interviews arranged until this came up having been in my current job for 8 years I have never been asked to prove anything and never realised I needed to as i have always lived in the UK. Crazy thing is i can't get a job without the i.d required but i could get benefits how's that for logic!!

1984ReturnsForReal_2

ring up the home office or something