Your child and SET(O): why there's no "parent is British" option
If you have become a British citizen and SET(O) gives you no way to say so, that's because your child probably shouldn't be on SET(O) at all — the usual route is to register them as a British citizen (typically form MN1), not apply for indefinite leave to remain. Settlement and citizenship are two different things, and the form you've been looking at is built for the wrong one.
Here is how the two routes differ, when your child is entitled to register, and how to choose.
- SET(O) is a settlement (ILR) form, designed for dependants of a parent who is settled, not one who has become British.
- A child does not automatically become British when a parent naturalises after their birth.
- Such a child can usually register as British — often via the Home Secretary's discretion under section 3(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981.
- Form MN1 costs £1,000; a fee waiver may apply for those who cannot afford it.
- Registration gives citizenship and a passport; ILR is only settled status that can lapse.
Settlement (ILR) versus registration: two different destinations
Indefinite leave to remain is immigration status. It lets your child live, work and study here indefinitely, and it can later be used to apply for citizenship. But it is not citizenship, it can lapse after long absences abroad, and it still leaves a further application to make down the line.
Registration as a British citizen is the nationality destination. Once registered, your child is British — full stop. They get a British passport, the status never lapses, and there is no further citizenship step.
SET(O) is the form for the first of these, in scenarios where the sponsoring parent holds ILR. It simply doesn't model the situation where you've gone all the way to citizenship — which is exactly the gap you've run into.
When a child of a British parent can register
Because you entered on a Tier 2 visa in 2019 and naturalised afterwards, your child wasn't British at birth. Two common registration routes apply:
- Born in the UK: if your child was born here and you have since become British (or got ILR), they are entitled to register under section 1(3) of the Act. This is an entitlement — meet the conditions and registration follows.
- Born outside the UK: there is no automatic entitlement, but the Home Secretary has discretion under section 3(1) to register a child. Home Office policy says this discretion is normally exercised where one parent is, or is becoming, a British citizen — alongside factors such as the family being settled here.
Children aged 10 or over must also meet a good character requirement.
Entitlement and discretion are not the same thing. An entitlement route (such as a UK-born child whose parent is now British) means registration is granted if the criteria are met. A discretionary route under section 3(1) means a caseworker decides — guided by policy, but not guaranteed. This article is general information, not legal advice; for a borderline or complex case, take advice from a regulated immigration adviser.
How to choose the right route
Work through it in order:
- Were you British when the child was born? If yes, the child is already British by descent — apply for a passport, not a visa or registration.
- Was the child born in the UK, and have you since become British or got ILR? Register under section 1(3) — an entitlement route.
- Was the child born abroad and you're now British? Apply to register, relying on section 3(1) discretion, which policy normally favours.
- Only if registration genuinely isn't available should settlement (SET(O)) be the fallback — and even then, citizenship is usually the better long-term outcome.
In nearly every case where a parent has become British, registration beats ILR: it's permanent, it can't lapse, and it ends the immigration paperwork for good.
Fees and what to file
Form MN1 is the standard application to register a child under 18 as British. The fee is £1,000, and if your child turns 18 mid-process there's a £130 ceremony fee. A fee waiver may be available for children who cannot afford the cost. Always confirm current fees on GOV.UK before paying.
Getting the route right matters more than the form number — registering as British, where possible, is the cleaner and more secure choice than settling your child on a visa.
If you're still mapping out your own citizenship journey or want the bigger picture, see the British citizenship guide. And if you're preparing for the Life in the UK test along the way, BritPass can help you practise.
Getting the route right the first time saves you a second application — and gives your child the stronger status.