I'm an Italian in the UK, living with a British-Irish partner, is it worth getting a UK passport?

Posted by wgeco@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 22 comments

I moved to the UK just before Brexit late 2019, I'm a few months away from getting the settled status and eventually UK citizenship after a year. There's one thing, my partner (UK and Irish citizenship) and I are absolutely exhausted of living in the UK and we've been dreaming of moving back to Italy, my job might allow me to work remotely from there. Is it wise for me to wait to get the British passport? In case for some reasons (family?) my partner has to go back and live in the UK, and I wouldn't be able to go back to live and work without a British passport.

What are your thoughts? We're both Europeans technically so it would be fairly easy moving to Europe.

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PapiLondres@reddit

I don’t see the point of getting a U.K. passport , they’re expensive and not very useful at the end of the day . If there’s a way to get the Irish passport , that’s the one you really want

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TheLawOfLargeNumbers@reddit

I had a similar consideration and ended up getting UK citizenship to have a common citizenship with my SO. The swaying factor was travel during COVID was more difficult for families with different nationalities even if they were residents/settled status of the UK. Now we can leave for more than 2 years and come and go with no restrictions forever, even when/if we leave.

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Pale-Candidate8860@reddit

Never a bad thing to have multiple citizenships.

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Hutcho12@reddit

Actually it really can be bad to have multiple citizenships for multiple reasons. But that is another topic.

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Pale-Candidate8860@reddit

Depends which ones.

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mmoonbelly@reddit

Other option is to look at an Irish passport.

Irish passport holders have the right to live and work in the common travel area (UK and Ireland)

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wgeco@reddit (OP)

Intersting. Thank you!

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mmoonbelly@reddit

No idea how the process is compared to the UK, but it’s an ootion.

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Defiant-Dare1223@reddit

If you get settled status and you are married you can get a passport immediately

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wgeco@reddit (OP)

Don't I have to take the life in the UK test? Or pay some fees?

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Defiant-Dare1223@reddit

Yes - see https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-indefinite-leave-to-remain

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Realistic_Tale2024@reddit

Italians are immigrants, not expats.

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wgeco@reddit (OP)

Can you explain?

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Realistic_Tale2024@reddit

Gli inglesi quando si trasferiscono all'estero si fanno chiamare expats, perche' pensano di essere un dono di Dio per i locali, non si sentono immigrati perche solo i poveri sono immigrati. Il fatto che hai solo downvotes spiega tutto, ma, per carita', sei libero di illuderti.

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wgeco@reddit (OP)

Non avevo notato i downvotes. Eppure dagli inglesi ho sempre sentito dire che si sentono 'inferiori' al resto delle nazioni europee perche non riescono a imparare altre lingue oltre all'inglese e che la cultura al di fuori dell'Inghilterra e' molto piu ricca.

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Realistic_Tale2024@reddit

Allora viviamo in mondi paralleli. Io vivo da quasi 30 anni in UK e mai ho sentito un inglese considerarsi inferiore a noi.

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Pure_Cantaloupe_341@reddit

If I am not mistaken (I can be, please double-check it yourself), once you get your settled status if you leave the UK at that stage you can keep it indefinitely by visiting the UK at least once every five years. So if something doesn’t work out in Italy, you should be able to easily return, unless you get any criminal history that will warrant its revocation or the rules drastically change for whatever reason.

A citizenship is of course a more secure status, but whether it’s worth staying in the UK for longer and paying the naturalisation fees is up to you to decide.

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wgeco@reddit (OP)

Thank you. Yes you should be right, by visiting the UK you mean even just a holiday week/weekend?

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Pure_Cantaloupe_341@reddit

https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families/what-settled-and-presettled-status-means says:

If you have settled status, you can spend up to 5 years in a row outside the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man without losing your status.

If you enter the UK for any amount of time during that 5 years, you’ll then be able to spend up to 5 more years outside the UK.

If you’re a Swiss citizen, you and your family members can spend up to 4 years in a row outside the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man without losing your settled status. Your family members do not have to be Swiss citizens. If you enter the UK for any amount of time during that 4 years, you’ll then be able to spend up to 4 more years outside the UK.

I am not an expert to says whether those rules are 100% bullet-proof or whether they can possibly change in the future - maybe talk to an immigration adviser to be sure.

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wgeco@reddit (OP)

Thank you so much for your time! :)

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Pure_Cantaloupe_341@reddit

Cheers!

Just one comment I wanted to add - if you decide to go this way, then it would be best to keep the evidence of you travelling to / from the UK such as boarding passes etc - to make sure you can prove that you weren’t absent from the UK for too long.

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wgeco@reddit (OP)

Thanks!