ElToro

I'm still facing some delays with regards to the citizenship ceremony. I called DIBP to see what's happening as it has gone quiet. After pushing for an answer they've said I'm provisionally down for Feb 20th, hopefully I get the letter soon. Date applied - 4/7/2016 City/Council area - City of Whitehorse (Melbourne) Online / Paper - Online Date received the acknowledgement email - 4/7/2016 Date of the Citizenship Test - 23/8/2016 Approval letter dated - 26/9/2016 Date of ceremony - Provisionally Feb 20th, won't be confirmed until I get a letter

Finally an approval letter! Took 5 weeks, but progress at last! Date applied - 4/7/2016 City/Council area - City of Whitehorse (Melbourne) Online / Paper - Online Date received the acknowledgement email - 4/7/2016 Date of the Citizenship Test - 23/8/2016 Approval letter dated - 26/9/2016 Date of ceremony - TBC

Following up on this, I've still to receive a letter confirming I've passed the test (4 weeks ago today). I called DIBP and they said that they have no updates and I just need to wait. Hopefully I'll get word soon. Anyone else still hanging on with delays from the Melbourne office?

You've maybe already tried but recommend you get on the phone and do what you can to speak to someone at the DIBP UK office. https://www.border.gov.au/Locations/Pages/Service-centres/europe-service-centre.aspx Hopefully you're able to get a breakthrough, I imagine it must be an administrative pain to get hold of anyone. Good luck

Interesting - let us know how you get on. Still no updates from my side. I reckon I'll give DIBP a call at the end of the week if there's no news.

I note that a lot of people seem to get an approval letter confirming the citizenship test has been passed. On most instances, it's dated the same day. I sat and passed my test on August 23rd. It's now over two weeks and I've yet to receive a letter. Is this anything to be concerned by?

Date applied - 4/7/2016 City/Council area - City of Whitehorse (Melbourne) Online / Paper - Online Date received the acknowledgement email - 4/7/2016 Date of the Citizenship Test - Approval letter dated - Date of ceremony - Hopefully things start to progress soon. Anyone applied via City of Whitehorse? Any feedback on their timelines? Can't see a lot on this or other recent threads.

I applied online. I'd also not take my 'advice' as gospel hopefully someone can verify if it needs to be a current passport.

I've literally just submitted my citizenship application. I didn't see anything that implied your passports need be current. I'm sure someone else better informed may give better advice but if I were you I'd just submit as is. I'm sure if this isn't acceptable you may need to provide some additional/alternative identification such as a driving license.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing Bungo. :jiggy:

'Served in full' to me suggests that as long as you didn't take the '1 year delay' option (which isn't available anyway in this case) and took the full penalty then you'll be down to zero. The penalty for 15 points is 3 month disqualification. I'd guess that would be wiped to zero however I see what you mean.

Cheers for the update. I've decided to suck it up too. The retrospective element is pretty poor however I hold my hands up and accept the original laws were unfair - this is merely righting that wrong. It's **** but it's only for a few months. As for your comment on points, I'm of the belief that post disqualification your back down to zero points. Can someone confirm? You can't be disqualified, come back and theoretically get banned again immediately for another penalty? I'm fairly certain that once you've served your penalty, you'll start afresh. I hope so anyway.

Any updates from your solicitor Alex?

Ease of commute to the city - I'd keep an eye on the rail map and also where the motorways are. This keeps a lot of options on the table however everyone has a different view on an easy commute. A West Country person may think differently from a Londoner! Close to coast resort. - Obviously a big factor is what kind of budget you have. The bayside stretch from Brighton down to Mount Martha is beautiful but pricey. Geelong side could be a bit cheaper. Good schools. - There's a real culture in Melbourne of private schooling. The best non-private schools are in areas of intense demand for this very reason. Great schools are everywhere.... if you're prepared to pay. Up and coming areas considered. - There's a lot of development out west - this gives easier access to the CBD without any of the established infrastructure. Tough one to call. Close to Airport/Rail if required. - Airport is not in a great place for the majority of the Melbourne population who live east or bayside. Train links are not bad. Perhaps areas where Brits have already settled. - we're everywhere :-) Check this link out for a perspective on the multicultural influence in each area - http://www.sbs.com.au/news/map/where-australias-immigrants-were-born-melbourne Tough to give real advice without being clouded by individual perspective or bias but hope this helps - good luck.

I don't understand this at all. This isn't 2011 when the dollar was at an all time high and people were moving over here getting bumper wages. The dollar is on a downward spiral, the cost of living is high and Australia needs working holiday visa holders to come in numbers to do the roles that many Australians are not willing to do. This, coupled with the crazy visa fees strike me as an avenue the Govt can try to exploit to generate additional income that will neither upset voters nor cause a media storm. It looks like a quick fix without consideration of longer term implications.