Omigod…I hadn’t realised that once I can apply for British citizenship in May, that it will take months to be approved/denied…months without a passport. That is quite scary. From the Home Office site:
If you send your application to us today, the expected times for a decision are as follows:
Naturalisation 7.22 months
Adult registrations 3.03 months
Registration of minors 6.24 months
Registration of stateless 5.50 months
Other registrations 4.41 months
Renunciations 2.55 months
Right of Abode applications 11 weeks
My case would count as naturalisation. I know that you can request to have your passport back on an emergency basis, but I think you have to then surrender it again.
I’m not having second thoughts, of course…this is where I want to be, and I no longer consider myself to be an American. I very much want to belong, I want to feel that I have a permanent home here. I just hate the thought of not having a passport.
And I still haven’t told my family yet…yup, I’m a chicken.
They don’t keep your passport the entire time though. Narnia told me it was a couple months for hers, and they’ll send it back sooner if you need it to go somewhere.
So they don’t keep it the entire time? That’s very good to know. :)