UK citizenship requirements for EU nationals with PR - should you be working?

Question

I am an EU national holding a (indefinite leave to remain - permanent resident status)= PR since October 2016. I would like to apply for UK citizenship. In the AN citizenship form it asks for job/employer. My two questions are the following:

1. Can a PhD student in the UK apply (hence the person is not working)?
2. Can a person who is unemployed (and not studying) at the moment of application apply?

Answer 1

According to the UK nationality guidance on naturalision, you would meet the basic eligibility through residency at 5 years. At that point, employment is not a factor when you qualify, financial soundness is, per the good character requirement.

Residence requirements
This section tells you how to consider if an applicant meets the residence requirement for naturalisation.

In order to qualify for naturalisation as a British citizen, an individual is required to demonstrate close links with, and a commitment to the UK. As part of this the expectation is that applicants should meet the residence requirements.

Whilst there is some discretion to waive some of these requirements, this cannot be done to the extent that the requirements are ignored.

Residence requirements: section 6(1)
The residence requirements which someone applying under section 6(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981 are that the applicant was:

• in the UK at the beginning of the period of 5 years ending with the date of the application
• not absent from the UK for more than either: o 450 days in that 5 year period o 90 days in the period of 12 months ending with the date of application
• not, on the date of application, subject under the immigration laws to any restriction on the period of stay in the UK
• not, at any other time in the 12 month period ending with date of application, subject under the immigration laws to any restriction on the period of stay in the UK
• not at any time in the period of 5 years ending with the date of application, in the UK in breach of the immigration laws

Answer 2

Once you have indefinite leave to remain, you have this status until you either commit some serious crime, or leave the UK for two years. No requirement to be employed etc. I haven't seen any requirement to be employed to gain citizenship either.

Make sure what the status of your original citizenship will be. For example, Dutch nationals will lose their Dutch nationality. German embassy says "we don't know; we'll tell you when we know".