movingtoaussieland

Quick update - got my invite to ceremony (Boroondara Council, VIC) for 10th March 2020. Approval date was 4th September so 6 months between approval and ceremony. I'm going to have to reschedule to a later one for work/travel reasons but that's ok, at least there's progress!

I don't think they make those kinds of promises! My interviewer told me they would approve it in the system the next day and that the letter would take up to 2 weeks. I was prepared to change my flight and extend my stay if I needed to, thankfully I have a very understanding boss and I can work from anywhere with an internet connection.

Approval date in the system is 2 days after my exam date. Letter in the mail confirming approval took about 10 days. Evidence will depend entirely on your personal circumstances. I took what I felt demonstrated why I was currently living overseas (work and family reasons that are both short-term in nature) and what I had that would show I intend to return (bank statements, superannuation, evidence of a local address). I did everything on my own, not sure a lawyer would have been any help to be honest.

Will do. Also, i was told they are churning through hundreds of interviews a day (at least in Melbourne) and doing extra ceremonies trying to clear some of the backlog so anyone waiting for an invite will hopefully not have to wait too long. On the agent question, I asked 3 agents for help and all said they don’t typically help with citizenship applications! One did offer to do some research into the current rules (for a fee) but never got back to me with a fee estimate so I gave up. If you do manage to find an agent with knowledge in this area I expect a lot of people would want their number.

Yes, I did my interview at the beginning of a 3 week stay so I was still in Australia for the approval, letter arrived before I left. Approval in the system was processed the day after my interview.

Hi all, Just to update on my experience. I pushed my interview/test date back to September (from original invite in April) and flew back to Melbourne for 3 weeks to do test and wait until I received formal approval. I took as much evidence of my intention to return to Australia as I could think of - including bank statements showing I'd left my savings there, statements showing I'm still paying into my Superannuation fund in Aus and a copy of my US visa showing it's a temp visa. I also changed the address on my Vic drivers license and bank statements to a friend's address in Melbourne. At the interview I was asked to explain why I was living overseas and convince them I was returning to Australia and doing so relatively soon (I think they're ideally looking for within 3-6 months, i.e. you'll be living there again by the time you get the ceremony invite). Honestly, I think a lot of whether you get approved or not depends on a) the reasons you're not living there at the moment, b) how much evidence you can bring to show your commitment to returning and c) who you happen to get as your interviewer. I was very fortunate that I had someone willing to listen to me, review all my documents and take my personal circumstances into account - in my case I have every intention of returning once my current work commitment finishes and I was able to clearly explain myself and provide enough evidence. Interviewers seem to have a lot of discretion so whilst my experience was positive, I don't think it's a given that everyone will have the same experience. My application was, thankfully, approved and the confirmation was sent to my friend's address in Melbourne, had I not been able to provide that address I think I would have had more trouble getting through the system as the interviewer said only having an overseas address on file usually means you'll get an email asking for a return date before they'll approve you and get you in line for a ceremony date. I am waiting on an invite for ceremony, which I'm expecting to be sometime early next year, and will have to travel back for about a month to do the ceremony and get my passport.

Hi all, Has anyone managed to find any solutions to this? I got my invite for interview in Melbourne for April, but in the time it took to get the application processed I got offered an opportunity to move to the US to work for a couple of years. I moved about a month ago and therefore no longer have a residential address in Australia. I have no issues flying back to do the test and interview, but I am worried it'll be a wasted trip if my move out of the country is going to prevent me getting approved. Would be great to hear of how anyone else has got round this!

I moved to Melbourne on my own just under 3 months ago - LOVE IT! Sounds like you're going with the right attitude, and that's half the battle. Do some research, find some social groups/activities that you can get involved in to meet new people. We have a Newbies Meetup group here in Melbourne that run events for newcomers, might be worth checking out Meetups.com to see if there's anything similar in Perth? I've found it a great way to meet people. Housemates and work colleagues will also be a good starting point. Jump into it with a positive attitude, be prepared to put a bit of work into making new friends and you'll be just fine. Totally with you on the walk on the beach - I do that whenever I start feeling a little homesick. Best of luck with the move guys!