Minor offences that could harm your UK citizenship application

The good character requirement goes beyond the scope of simply being free from criminal convictions. These are some of the most likely categories that could put your application at risk:

Fines and notices that have been referred to a court due to non-payment will be treated as conviction. So, be sure to settle any fines you receive before you are summoned to pay them.

Even where a person has not received a fine within the last three years, the decision maker may still conclude that a person is not of good character. Reason to refuse an application is quite strong in cases where a person has committed multiple offenses of this kind, as it shows a pattern of offending.

You need to ensure all of your financial affairs (in the UK and abroad) are in order before you begin the UK citizenship application process. This includes any tax or financial issues such as bankruptcy, liquidation or debt.

As part of your application for citizenship, you authorise the Home Office to conduct verification checks which include credit checks. It is therefore vital that you disclose all infringements, regardless of when they occurred.

An application will not normally be refused because the person is in debt, especially if loan repayments have been made as agreed or if acceptable efforts are being made to pay off accumulated debts. However, where a person deliberately and recklessly builds up debts and there is no evidence of a serious intention to pay them off, Home Office will normally refuse the application.

Similarly, Home Office will determine whether the person was reckless or irresponsible in their financial affairs leading to their bankruptcy or their company’s liquidation. If so, it is likely to be reflected by a disqualification being obtained.

Should you be affected by any of the above, you should seek professional advice before attempting an application. If you’re worried about your personal tax situation, get in touch with a UK-based accounting firm.

This includes minor or major breaches of immigration law, such as overstaying your visa (even by a short period) or working when your visa did not permit you to. If within the 10 years preceding the application, an individual has not been compliant with immigration requirements, the Home Office will normally refuse that person’s application.

Alternatively, assisting illegal migration or hiring illegal workers violates the good character requirements. If you are in a position that deals with hiring workers, hiring people that are unauthorised to work in the UK can look bad on your good character test and possibly deny you UK citizenship.

All UK companies should be conducting right to work checks before hiring migrant workers. The responsibility of ensuring legal work status falls on all UK employers with a sponsor licence. Hiring illegal workers holds a fine of up to £20,000 per employee for employers and having your sponsor licence revoked. Needless to say, a violation of this law and such a hefty fine will not impress government officials during your good character test.

An application will normally be refused if there is evidence that suggests a person has made themselves notorious in the local or wider community. This will be determined on the scale and persistence of their behaviour. Notoriety does not need to be politically-related. A person that is, for example, a known football hooligan could also be regarded as a public order risk.

If your child has a criminal record, your British citizenship application is normally not refused. This includes being convicted of a criminal offense or being issued with an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO). Your application is at risk when there is evidence of assisting your child with criminal activity.

One of the requirements for British citizenship is passing the Life in the UK Test, which assesses your knowledge of British life. It is not unheard of for citizenship applicants to pay someone to take their tests or to submit false documents. British citizenship applications are refused if the applicant has been deceptive in the 10 years prior to their application. Deception is counted as the day it was carried out to the day is was discovered.

The same rules apply to the English language tests required for UK citizenship.

While it’s important to familiarise yourself with the requirements of the good character test prior to your citizenship application, the laws and requirements often change. If you’re unsure about anything in your application it is much, safer to check with a UK citizenship expert first, before you apply. Often, if you take steps before you apply, you will be able to sail through the good character requirement with ease. However, if you apply and fail, you may find yourself unable to be granted British citizenship in the future.