Criminality is a vital factor when one thinks to apply for a UK visa or British Citizenship. The Home Office checks thoroughly if there is any criminal record for you and if so whether you should be granted the visa or not. Applicants may need to submit a criminal record certificate if they are submitting an application for skilled worker jobs under Table 2 of the Appendix Skilled Occupations. There are various requirements one needs to fulfil while making a visa application and a previous criminal record is one of them. Having a past criminal record could lead to visa refusal by the home office.

When does criminality become a ground of visa refusal?

You need to declare in your UK visa application form if you got one of the following: 1. The applicant is personally excluded by the Secretary of State; 2. The applicant is subject to a deportation order; 3. A conviction of an offence and sentenced imprisonment of at least 4 years; 4. A conviction of an offence and sentenced imprisonment between 12 months and 4 years. This is spent after 10 years have passed since the end of the sentence; 5. A conviction and sentenced imprisonment of fewer than 12 months. This will be exempted if a 5-year period has passed since the end of the sentence; 6. Convicted of a non-custodial offence will only be considered to be spent once 12 months have passed; and If an immigration officer deems that your coming to the UK can be against the public good then also your visa application may be refused. However, if a crime is considered in your country but not in the UK such as proselytism then the Home Office will disregard it when considering your visa application. Criminality when applying for British citizenship? When you apply for British Citizenship, "Good Character" is a mandatory condition you need to prove. So, you must disclose the full criminal records in your name when you apply for British citizenship else your citizenship application will be refused.