jess6

Hi Everyone, Just updating my info, I just had my virtual Citizenship Ceremony. It was very quick and easy. I had sent an email on 27/04/2020 but I had not followed up with documents or anything as I do not think my circumstances were particular (I am pregnant but I do not believe it is relevant). So I think that it should be indicative for anyone having been approved in December 2019. Hope that helps! Citizenship Application lodged online: 09/05/2019 (aknowledgement received on the same day) Citizenship Email for the test received: 19/07/2019 Citizenship Test on: 19/12/2019 (results: 100%) Citizenship Application approved 20/12/2019 Citizenship Approval letter received: 08/01/2019 EOI received: 23/06/2020 Invitation received: 26/06/2020 Citizenship Ceremony: 30/06/2020 Council: City of Port Phillip (Melbourne, Victoria)

What makes you think it concerns only Canberra? https://minister.homeaffairs.gov.au/davidcoleman/Pages/statement-on-australian-citizenship-processing.aspx Regarding the timeline, yes, this is what I was saying : announced solution is in line with the usual timeline. Why do you think I was surprised? My observation about my council was that ceremony would usually happen 4 to 5 months after approval date when I checked in December. But that always fluctuates. Before COVID, I was expecting receiving an invitation for early May. so yes, I thought and still think the online solution will probably stay within timelines. I now expect receiving an invitation for July or August.

of course they are. someone from another forum just got approved today.

Yes, that was already the official timeline before. I personally got approved on December 20 and still hadn't received an invitation for the mid-April ceremony of my council which indicates that timeline. I think that we have to admit that considering the circumstances, it is actually a pretty good effort from the department. They could have very well put us on ice.

Here you go: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6713550/virus-drives-citizenship-ceremonies-online/?cs=14231

The department is still processing applications, things are just taking longer than usual.

My experience with immigration : the people you get on the phone are usually not aware of upcoming changes. So I would take this information with a grain of salt. Each minister has their how set of responsibilities, and this will be looked at like any other problematic. We will know soon which decision will be made when it will be officially announced. I wrote to my local MP about the situation of approved applicants waiting for the ceremony (attaching the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/australian-government-department-of-home-affairs-alternative-electronic-method-for-citizenship-ceremonies-for-approved-applicants?source_location=topic_page) and mentioning the NZ solution. He answered and told me that they were aware of the situation and hoping for a positive outcome soon for all approved applicants. I do believe that approved applicants will see positive outcomes. As it seems logical to help clearing the backlog and to win these applicants for the next elections are they will get the right to vote pretty soon now. Let's be positive.

More to do with the Minister and the Department than the councils. You have the possibility of signing this: http://chng.it/GD5tCbDShK Also, you can write to your local PM and the Department to raise it. NZ has already found a solution, so AU should be able to do so as well.

Hi Everyone, I just discovered this : http://chng.it/GD5tCbDShK This is a petition to ask for the approved citizenships to be formalised like they have been in New Zealand. I am aware that there are tons of things more important in the world but still, it feels like Australia could do it if NZ can... Cheers

Hi Everyone, I received my approval letter by mail yesterday (January 8) while my application was approved on December 20 in my immi account. So basically exactly 10 business days (removing the public holidays). In terms of ceremony, I expect being invited for March (if I am lucky), April or May (if I am unlucky). April is probably most likely. I made this assumption by looking at another forum online which keeps track, by council, of applications of the forum participants. I saw that the average waiting time for my council was around 4 months. 2020 Ceremony dates for Port Phillip (VIC) council are : 26 January (Australia Day), 12 March, 23 April, 7 May, 23 July, 17 September (Citizenship Day), 19 November I thought this info might be helpful :)

Hi Everyone, Happy New Year! I hope 2020 see a lot of quick citizenship approvals :D My citizenship got approved on December 20th (still waiting for the letter, probably delayed because of Chistmas). I do not think I will be part of the January 26th ceremony and I expect being in the March or April one (Port Phillip Council (VIC)) I have a questions for you: - Have any of you travelled overseas after their approval and before the ceremony? - How did you let the department know? - Do we have to get an approval, and if so how long does it take? Thank you :) Cheers

Thank you Kaz! :) The Immigration lady only checked my Passport, Medicare Card, Australian Driver licence and the original of my Birth Certificate (along with the Naati translation of it). From the above, my Australian Driver licence is the only document with my current address on it I personally had brought everything with me just in case (bills and tenancy agreement). I am not sure if other officers ask for more documents. As a side note, she scanned my documents. She also took a photo of me. The discussion was quite quick and then I took the test which is in line with the test exemple provided on the immigration website. After the test, they run a police check. I saw the approval in my immigration account. I did not receive a notification, I proactively checked my account. She told me that I would receive a letter though. Let me know if you have any other questions :)

Hi Everyone, Just sharing my timeline Application lodged online 09/05/2019 Email for the test received: 19/07/2019 Test on: 19/12/2019 Application approved 20/12/2019 Ceremony: waiting for letter Council: City of Port Phillip (Melbourne)

I agree with that, people who are eligible - or are becoming eligible during the negociations - should definitely apply. I just obtained my PR early last month (after over 5 years 457 in Australia) so I cannot apply but if I were eligible under the "old rules", I would apply. By the way, the "old rules" are actually the current rules...

Backdating, English level and Dutton superpower seem to be the main issues for the committee but I do not see anything against the 4 years PR requirement. Labor (and the Greens ?) is the only party expressing concerns around the 4 years waiting period. I agree with Xenophon when he says that the government is trying "“to fix problems that don't exist” There are so many things that need to be worked on in Australia, it is really disappointing and annoying to see the current government constantly doing political maneuvers in attempt to keep their power instead of just governing... As a taxpayer who does not have the right to vote, it really gets on my nerves. Anyways, my hope is to see the next election happen before this bill gets to pass.

Thanks I will definitely check!

Thanks - yeah in terms of social security I really need to check. When I moved from France to Germany, there were definitely a bunch of documents to fill up to make sure the governement would be informed.

Thank you. I have already a NSW driving license but I believe I need to let them know about the status change. I'll check with all of the admins and will follow up if I have any findings to share. Regarding voting, I thought Permanent Resident could participate to some local things, oh well :-) In terms of insurance, I am moving under my partner company cover which is Bupa. Since I am with Bupa for my overseas visitor cover and already have my lifetime health cover letter from Medicare, it looks like it might be easy. The ATO is another one I will probably need to update while sending my Tax Return.

I would refer to an agent for this question. My understanding is: You need a positive Vetassess assessment for the 186 DE visa. After that, the CO is the person who looks at your CV and decides if your experience is relevant. The part with the number of years assessed positively is not for the 186 visa but for the independant visa (189? 190?). So you could get zero years in this section and still get the visa if the CO thinks that your experience is actually relevant. The above feedback was from my agent - she is taking care of one of my colleague PR. But again, for peace of mind, I'd recommend you get in touch with an agent and ask for their advice.

Hi Everyone, Last week I became a Permanent Resident of Australia - yeah!!! (FYI - I was already living in Australia) Now that my brain starts to properly process the good news, I am wondering: what do I need to do? - Medicare: so it looks like they have already sent a new card (I checked), anything else I need to do for them? - Private insurance: Has anybody transitioned from a Overseas Visitor Cover to a "Permanent Resident" cover? - Driving license: Do I need to let them know I am now Permanent Resident? - Social Security: Pension, centerlink etc: Is there anything I need to do now? I mean I work full time but is there anything that needs to be done for the future? - Bank: do I need to let them know? - Super: does the Permanent Resident status changes anything? - Votes: Do Permanent Residents have any rights to vote - for example for local elections? These are the first things that come to mind but feel free to add anything you could think about. I appreciate the help!

I do not disagree. Foreigers can still get sponsored for temporary visas so technically, this does not necessarily encourage companies to hire more Australians. It actually probably create less job security. However, the idea is still to try to favour Australians which is fair. FYI - Transition visas usually get approved faster than Direct Entry ones. If you make people wait longer, you avoid pumping too many additional people with a common occupation in the country economy. Do not forget that permanent residents have access to most of citizen benefits (i.e. MEdicare, CenterLink etc.) The deparment sees: Marketing Specialist - we already have lots of them. Direct Entry: why add an additional permanent resident with that occupation straight away. In the allocation process, I do not think they see if you are onshore of not. If you prioritise occupations, you automatically de-prioritize others, hence the longer wait. The Marketing Specialist occupation is highly skilled. FYI - I own two master degrees and have almost 10 years work experience. In my case, I definitely did not take the job of an Australian and my employer would have happily paid more money for my sponsor. My skillset is quite specialised in the marketing field. But the department only realises this once they open the file. Until then, you are stuck in the queue because of the name of the occupation.

I tend to agree with this however I feel Shorten may struggle because he seems to lack charisma and public speaking skills.

Not sure about who should get the job but one sure thing: since I arrived in Australia, the political situation has been a real show. In 5 years, I have seen 4 Prime Ministers: Gillard, Rudd, Abott and Turnbull. A little stability would be good.

Here is what I learnt during that process based on my observations, personal experiences and friends or acquaintances experiences: 1- Is this possible to expedite the application? Only for very few cases mostly related to vital occupations for Australia (ask your MA) 2 - Is a file taking longer because it is more complex? If your file is not open, I do not think there is any way to know if it is complex or not. My file was decision ready, sponsored by a huge and very respected company, with a very respected migration agency, onshore application from LR country, with high level of English, positive skills assessment, no risk whatsoever (health or criminal) and Australian citizen Fiancé. Still it took almost 13 months to be allocated. Why? Probably because Direct Entry - Marketing Specialist. Once open and reviewed by the CO, the file went from "Received" to "Finalised" pretty quickly without any additional documents requested. 3- Is there an occupation prioritisation system? Some time ago, someone mentioned a prioritisation system based on economic needs in Australia. This theory is the most believable so far to me, and it also fits with the government official declarations (Jobs need to go to Australians first - which makes sense). As an example, I have seen several other Direct Entry - Marketing specialists in this situation before me. Great easy files but still waited forever. Also it could explain why approvals get slower after a rush of applications. The system would need to re-prioritise everything and look if any new applicant as a vital occupation for Australia. 4- Are Direct Entry applications a flag? The government is currently looking into removing the possibility for applicants to acquire PR without having lived in Australia, check here. Direct Entry do seem like a flag if the occupation is not vital and even more if the applicant is offshore. 5- Are HR countries a flag? It looks like for some countries, additional background checks are required once the file is open. However it does not seem to impact the speed of the allocation from what I have observed. 6 - Other factors to take into account? If your file is open and it takes a long time to get an answer from the CO after having provided the docs: maybe your CO is on annual or sick leave, or needed to prioritize other files before yours. Don't forget that CO are people. I have heard rumours of people getting files allocated quicker because they "know people". It is a little surprising to me but who knows. 7 - I have been waiting forever what can I do? - First, if your file is not open, be realistic about the current situation. Jobs have been cut at the Department of Immigration, the government wants to protect Australian Jobs and the amount of people entering the country permanently. It looks like there are quite a few files taking 18 months or more. Avoid starting complaining if you have waited less than the official maximum timelines because, let's be honest, from the department or your MA perspective, your requests will not look good, and they will make them lose their time. Set the right expectations, otherwise you might get quite anxious if you get stuck in the matrix. - Second, if your file is open, ask yourself is there is a genuine reason why your file would take longer: Is there any flag on your nomination or application? Once open, the file will be analysed, and yes, your employer is very important, your background, your health, your level of english etc. - If you have been waiting for a very long time, beyond max timelines, you can try the following: - Contact your MA and ask for regular status updates (mail, phone) - get to know the system too: https://www.mia.org.au/ - Contact the department by email and on the phone (take what they say with a grain of salt though) - follow their news: https://www.border.gov.au/about/news-media/whats-new - Give feedback about the service if you feel like it: https://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/provide-feedback - Give feedback about the future of the process if you feel like it: https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/visa-reform/policy-consultation-paper - Contact your local MP if you are onshore and explain your story if you feel like it - I do not know exactly how that works but I thought I'd share this too : https://www.igis.gov.au/complaints/immigration-matters In any case, be polite and respectful, do not forget that it is about allowing you to live permanently in Australia: this is a big deal. So don't be a fool and stop feeling entitled to be treated better than other people. Your LR status, UK or European passport won't give your any additional rights. However, this is true that the timelines should be reasonable so if you have been waiting for a long time, it is not inappropriate to ask for explanations. If things get really too difficult, you may want to further read about past difficult PR immigration stories and what actions these people have taken: http://insidestory.org.au/living-at-the-wrong-end-of-the-queue/ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-19/skilled-migrants-waiting-years-for-permanent-residency/6481916

Yes there is an escalation process, just ask your MA. This process is only for very special cases (research etc.) Not sure of this. My case - and other people cases I know personally go against this theory.