You may think that honours are restricted to British citizens only. But you couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s no requirement for nominees to be resident or a citizen of the United Kingdom to win an honour. And many leaders in STEM, Finance and Tech have applied and successfully been awarded. So, if you’re an ex-pat or foreign national looking to secure an honour, we’ll detail how we can help non-UK residents win a King’s Honour.
What honours are available to those overseas?
It might surprise you that there are no residency or citizen requirements for these awards. Ex-pats simply apply through the normal routes and may even have a slightly higher chance of being awarded due to their international profile enhancing the reputation of the UK overseas. For non-citizens, Honourary awards are possible at a higher threshold. Think critical innovators like Bill Gates or famous humanitarians like Angelina Jolie.
“For over a century, US citizens have received [honourary] British knighthoods and damehoods. For example, US Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H W Bush, and Dwight D Eisenhower all became Knights of the Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath. Eisenhower also became an honorary member of the Order of Merit in 1945 for running the Allied campaign during World War 2,” according to the Gazette. However, they are not entitled to use the ‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’ title as the King is not their head of state.
Managing an international application
As you might imagine, managing an application overseas and across time zones adds an additional level of complexity. That’s why it’s a good idea to work with a respected awards writing firm like Bayleaf Honours. An expert team will help you manage the various moving parts like collecting substantiation, contacting supporters and handling your submission. By using advanced tech tools, we’re able to automate a large number of these functions and can work around time and regional constraints. Additionally, we’ll ensure your application reads natively to the UK-based committee. The subtle nuances of British versus American English are one example. When you work with an experienced partner, you’ll avoid any translation ‘snafus’.
Crafting a narrative
When dealing with foreign organisations where the review committee may be less familiar with the scope and scale of works, providing the right narrative is key. Unlike with domestic applications, ex-pat or foreign applications may reference corporations, fields, locations and causes which may be novel to the honours committee. As a critical deciding factor on whom to award, the committee is concerned with nominees who are making the largest positive impact. So, you’ll want your nomination to fully communicate the breadth of works. That often means more background and context is required than with standard nominations. Additionally, you’ll need to establish the legitimacy and gravity of your supporters as well. If they are also foreign residents or nationals, the awarding committee may also lack visibility into their qualifications and pedigree. To properly position the nomination, you’ll need to explain their status as well.
If this is all sounding like a bit much, why not work with an experienced honours writing agency like Bayleaf? We’re experts at crafting compelling stories that win awards for residents and non-residents alike. Let’s talk about your accomplishments today.