Canada2Australia

5 minutes ago, calNgary said:

The link you quoted says - ''In-person citizenship appointments and tests normally conducted by Services Australia in regional locations remain on hold.''

However i think it depends how Regional you mean, we are classed as a regional area and attended the Gold Coast for our in person tests (albeit a fair few years ago) as the choice was there or Brisbane and at the time the GC had a shorter waiting time.

   Cal x

Ah okay. Thanks for that.

17 hours ago, Nemesis said:

Adelaide, Brisbane, Parramatta and Perth are currently doing in-person appointments 

https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizenship

Hey thanks. Am curious to know if the regional areas in those states are conducting in-person testing as well, particularly Qld in my own case.

On ‎11‎/‎08‎/‎2020 at 22:27, Jlucy said:

Hi Everyone, 

An update as today we received an invitation for our interview and test! Very surprised - we were not expecting the invite so soon. We thought there would be a big back log due to Covid. It is scheduled for 11th Sep. We're located in Perth and our application was submitted on 11/02/2020. 

Our daughter became a citizen on 05/08/2020 as she didn't need to have an interview or test.

Good luck to everyone here!

 

That is great news. So far it only seems like WA is continuing on with the tests.

16 hours ago, Danny842003 said:

I believe it’s a home builder/buyer grant 

Ah okay right. Yeah that makes sense then. Thanks.

2 hours ago, cams326 said:

Hi everyone,

I lodged my citizenship a few weeks ago. I am just wondering if there is anyone's application here that was processed quicker than expected? I am kind of hoping to still be able to get the $25K grant from government if there is any chance the citizenship will be granted this year.

Thank you all

 

$25K grant from the government? What is this grant for?

2 hours ago, Baby Pom said:

Had my test yesterday (5th August) in Perth and passed

The only document they asked to see was my drivers licence, even though I'd taken all my old passports, birth certificate etc.

I applied back in January and was then asked to supply a UK Police Clearance in February (even though they didn't initially request it on the application).

My daughter's application was approved on 15th July (she didn't have to take the test as under 18 at time of application).

They said that it could be up to 4 to 6 months before a ceremony is given but depends on council (mine is City of Belmont).

Congrats.

I knew about WA offices being open and tests resuming, however I havent' heard boo about any other states. Does anyone know how people can find this out?

I am in no panic-style rush to get citizenship, if I get it at all. But out of curiosity, how can we find out if our state has allowed oral and written tests to commence once again?

8 hours ago, rammygirl said:

Good call. They ask you to take originals to the test/interview to sight in person so you will need it.  I assume the copy was notorised for your application originally though so you must have had an original one at some point.

Yeah, the original certificate is with my mother back home. I want to leave a copy in Canada, and now I can have one out here with me as well. In hindsight, I should have ordered another copy long ago, but you don't always think of these kinds of things until your hand is forced.

So I've decided to just go ahead and lodge the application, with the black and white birth certificate copy. As a precautionary measure, I've placed an order for a new one to be sent to me which will take a minimum of three months. It's taking a million months to process applications at this point anyways, so it's not a big deal; I can just attached the new copy later on if need be. It is what it is. It will work out one way or another, it will just take longer to achieve.

20 hours ago, Marisawright said:

What colour is the original certificate?   My British one is literally black type on white paper so they'd never know if it was a colour copy or not.

The new certificate are made of plastic, and have light pastel colours. It is clear in some spaces. I had to get a new one several years ago because my original copy was destroyed. I could try and just submit the black and white one and see what they say whilst trying to get my hands on another copy. Ugh, so painful.

20 minutes ago, rammygirl said:

Are you saying you do not have the original certificate? 

Not in this country no. And it's a huge time-consuming pain to get an original..............like months to a year painful.

So I'm taking the plunge and finally applying. Just one little roadblock might cause me some distress.

I have a copy of my birth certificate that I used when I applied for PR, and it was in black and white, and was accepted. However now they are saying that it must be in colour. The issue is that for me to try and get a colour copy will be an absolute nightmare. I'm wondering if anyone has been in this situation and tried to submit a black and white copy and if it was accepted or shot down. Any advice would be appreciated in helping me decide if I should take a shot or not.

8 hours ago, Mcguinnessp1968 said:

 

You clearly don’t understand the purpose of a skilled visa program

 

Yes, I am well educated on it's purpose, thanks. You simply misunderstood the context of my comment.

41 minutes ago, Domo said:

There are a lot of people on WHV and other temp visas who are currently in Australia and being looked after, as opposed to PR applicants who have worked hard at satisfying visa conditions over the past X amount of years and are on the MSTSOL. They certainly should and are taking care of citizens first, but prioritizing backpackers over industry professionals is a little annoying. I sold my accumulated wealth here in Canada and have been invited and applied for my 190 visa, I'm pissed as are many other people who are currently in a similar situation.

When did you sell your wealth? Before you were actually invited? If so, I'd say that was a bit premature considering there could have been a plethora of reasons that you may have been rejected, let alone a global pandemic. This is a situation where you will simply have to tough it out and hope for the best. Immigration is never a guarantee and people shouldn't gamble their lives and money away unless they are certain they will be migrating.

I don't see how people can be upset with this (unless you are wanting to apply but haven't done so yet). Countries around the world should be prioritising the residents they currently have for job prospects before taking in any new immigrants. How can that be argued by anyone during these times?

5 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Applying for the tourist visa won't affect your PR.  

 

Are you sure about that? I was explicitly warned about applying for and being granted another Australian visa whilst I'm on my PR, that the new visa would cancel the PR and that I would lose all my PR priviledges.

Sorry, should have posted in this thread.

With restrictions now being gradually eased across the country, can anyone confirm if the immigration offices are now resuming oral and written citizenship testing? I'm due to submit my application next month 

With restrictions now being gradually eased across the country, can anyone confirm if the immigration offices are now resuming oral and written citizenship testing? I'm due to submit my application next month 

If your overseas parent dies, would that be grounds for an exemption to attend the funeral?

21 hours ago, Lavers said:

True its another reason why I need to get gone fairly soon.

Was it $2500 a week per person as well?

I think it ended up between $1500 to $2000 as they put her up in a Travelodge (not the nicest of hotels, but not the worst either). And she didn't have a choice; they pick where you stay.

4 minutes ago, Lavers said:

 

14days quarantine upon arrival all paid for by the Aus gov for now.

Not if you enter the NT, at least in a secondary manner.

My friend who lives in Darwin came back from the Caribbean. She had to isolate first in Melbourne (her first point of contact back in Australia) which was paid for by the feds. But when she flew back to Darwin from Melb, she had to return to quarantine for a second time, but this time on her own dollar. NT after a period of time started making people coming into the territory pay for their own accomodations.

So it all depends on the jurisdiction and the policies they have in place.

It's just a reality of life. I would think that citizenship is the least of many peoples worries these days and that there are more pressing issues to be dealt with. 

If we have to wait an extra year or two for citizenship, then so be it. There is nothing we can do about it. We won't be any worse off because of it. 

1 hour ago, AliQ said:

Hi Canada2Australia, we moved back to the UK after 28 years out of the country, so had no credit score / rating what so ever.

We had no trouble at all setting up utilities etc, arranging a GP and dentist, having said that, we did not need to apply for a mortgage.

Good luck with your move.

Thanks Ali, but I'm not actually moving overseas, at least in the short to medium term anyways. I was just asking out of sheer curiosity

Ah okay. I had no idea credit ratings could 'expire'. I wonder if that is strictly a UK thing or if other countries follow that line of logic as well. I didn't think that would happen in Canada but now am left guessing. Will have to look into it.

I'm at a loss for understanding here.

As UK citizens, do you not have the right to simply move back whenever you feel like it regardless of age, if you have a job lined up, how much money you have in the bank, if you are seriously ill, etc.? So basically, can you not move back without restrictions? It sounds like they treat ex-pats like foreign nationals when making the move back.