Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants for British citizenship have been waiting three years or more to have their application granted.

The Home Office does not publish this data in the format requested.

The Home Office are currently deciding 100% of straightforward applications for British citizenship within six months. The most recent figures for British citizenship applications can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-august-2017

Some applications are not straightforward and may take longer than six months to decide. These applications are of a particularly complex nature where further investigation is required, often involving other government departments and external agencies.