Tamara's Story | I'm devastated I might have to wait another 5 years to apply for British citizenship.
The government's proposal to extend the residence requirement to ten years has left people devastated. It’s signaling that our rights are at risk and that at any point they can be taken away. People such as Tamara who want to naturalise do so because the UK is their home. They feel British, they’ve put down roots, worked for years to save up to be able to apply and to be recognised as citizens.
Tamara's story:
"I have lived in the UK more or less since I was 14 years old, done my GCSEs and A-Levels here, and went to university both for my BA and an MA later as a mature student, graduating in February 2020.
I have also been back to Germany for a year or two during which I lived with my parents in 2008-2009 before returning to university here and again in 2012 after graduating with my BA before attending Acting School in the USA.
This is the reason I did not qualify for Settled Status before 2020 because I spent two years in the USA in 2013 and 2014 for educational purposes and as you know it reset me so I could only apply for Settled Status late in 2019 and the Home Office took its time to get back to me finally awarding me Settled Status in March 2020.
Due to the pandemic I have had to leave the UK to live with my mother in Germany for a few years almost immediately after receiving Settled Status as my financial situation was impacted.
As you can imagine as an artist and freelancer, the lockdown made it impossible to afford London rent otherwise.
I have spent the time since the lockdown rebuilding my finances and thanks to help from family have been able to finally return and buy my own flat as of late January this year.
This of course means that I will have to wait another 5 years to apply for citizenship, something I had planned to do in 2021 if not for my unplanned absence.
