millski88

12 hours ago, LAG said:

Hi thanks!

I got approved on 29 August my wife on 5 September. I think is a special 26 Jan ceremony, it is not at the usual council place. It is going to be at the Hyatt Place, this is Essendon Fields, so it is the same council but not their usual venue.  

That's interesting... i spoke to Moreland council yesterday and they tell me they're having a regular ceremony in Coburg on Jan 26th (with 120 applicants).

I have heard though from a Moreland resident on this forum that there are invitations for DOHA run ceremonies which are not arranged by the local council. The representative from Moreland council wasn't aware of this when i raised it with them.

Based on this, I'm still considering our invite could come from Moreland for one of their regular ceremonies, or from DOHA for a ceremony arranged by them.

2 hours ago, LAG said:

Just got the email today! Also my wife.

NO REPLY - Invitation to attend an Australian citizenship ceremony

The ceremony will be on 26 January,  I am from Monee Valley council.

Applied in June this year. Application was approved on 29 August.

Happy days!

Nice! Congrats. Early invitation!

Is your ceremony due to be in the normal venue for your council, or is it a special Jan 26th one in the city, Fed Square etc?

Also, when did you get approval?

37 minutes ago, littledumpling said:

So do we get invitations by mail only? I’m moving houses this week a bit afraid of miss the mail.

I've heard it's a mix of mail and email depending which council, but there's a chance it could be mail only, yes.

35 minutes ago, Ravi2019 said:

Hi all,

My time line for Citizenship 

Application dater  1o/11/2019 in Maningham Council and status as Received 

Just want to check what will be next status Acknowledgement or In Progress ? and what are the time lines ?

Cheers!!!

Ravi

 

Citizenship application status usually only goes from Received to Approved as far as i'm aware

11 hours ago, Jacaranda91 said:

Just wanted to share my timeline:

date of application: 24/02/2019

date of test email: 12/11/2019

initial test date: 16/12/2019

rescheduled test date:13/11/2019

date of approval: 13/11/2019

date of ceremony: Waiting

good luck to everyone

 

Just the last step to go! 

Which council area are you in?

2 hours ago, Prashant Shukla said:

One of my friend applied in july got his test etc done in October and attending the ceremony in November 2019. That’s the fastest I have ever seen.

 

Awesome! What area?

Sure thing, I can dig the letter off my laptop a bit later.

I didn’t add my partner at the time of my application. All I did was ensure my relationship status was declared as ‘De facto’ when I submitted mine, then followed up with all the evidence when we did my partners the year after, including this letter from my sponsor employer.

Processing times don't really give much useful to go on. Ours was on a different visa program (457) and the wait times change all the time. Interestingly though, back in 2015 my 457 only took 2 weeks (unusually quick) and my subsequent entry application in 2016 just under 2 months. I’d advise against using others experience as a measuring stick though, the published processing times on the DIBP website can be used a a rough upper-limit.

Different visa system now so may not be exactly the same, but for my 457 subsequent entrant (fiancee) we just had the Immi account holder at my employer, our HR Director at the time, write and sign a letter stating she confirms our relationship was true and ongoing, and as the registered representative of my sponsored employer she requests the original nomination is extended to include my partner.

No questions asked (obviously when submitted along with all the other evidence and personal particulars docs etc).

Happy to DM you the exact wording of the letter if you'd like. 

We paid the visa app fee in this instance, as we had with mine originally. Adjusting the nomination in this way is just considered an update and doesn't cost your employer anything (unless they've offered to pay your application fees!).

1 hour ago, Sigemup said:

Hi ali,

 

Thank you for the reply. 

is there any particular reason for this suggestion. 

Thank you

...because you'd more likely already be in the area when your ceremony comes up, and so less likely would have to change your plans or take time off from work?

I don't see there's a huge difference here. Where will you say you live on the application? Could make sense to go with that, as it'll look less 'odd' to someone processing it.

You could also check the sample data on http://sharemytimeline.info/ to see if one council area has significantly quicker timelines than the other. Bear in mind this is only a small sample of data though!

3 minutes ago, LAG said:

No, I'm from Monee Valley. According to their website the last ceremony for 2019 was last week. So I guess I'll wait until Australia day.

Moreland seem to have them really regularly. Recently up to 4 per month, but the page on the council website hasn't been updated recently, so we'll see.

Based on a couple of other Moreland applicants, I'm seeing a rough wait of 3-4 months after approval. Fingers crossed!

2 minutes ago, LAG said:

Congratulations!

I think you are from Moreland right? anyway, there is a very active whirlpool forum and they've just created a list of people waiting for ceremony by council

Moreland Council

Mikhel Approval:22 August 2019 Ceremony waiting
Mikhel's partner Approval:28 August 2019 Ceremony waiting
kokodajs Approved Sept10th, ceremony waiting

Link to the list https://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/ceremony_backlog and the thread in case you want to have a look https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/9w0vkxm3?p=1207

Cheers, the wait is almost over!

I am that's right! Are you too?

I'm not a member of whirlpool but i'll join up and add myself.

Thanks!

Tom

Want to preface this with the fact that we have been *incredibly* lucky on our visa/migration journey in regards to turnaround times. I definitely did not expect this timeline or take this for granted.

But, this morning my citizenship flipped over to Approved too, after the OH's has end of last week. We're on the last straight!

12 hours ago, rammygirl said:

You can vote in local council elections without being a citizen, is there one in your area?

Oh! potentially yes.

Interesting one today - my OH received a letter from the Australian Electoral Roll stating "It looks like you're eligible to vote but have not enrolled..."

Weirdly the letter is dated 21st October and my OH only took her test on 25th.

Must be a mistake and a coincidence. Funny timing though.

On 25/10/2019 at 19:40, LouDYorkie said:

Congrats to your OH.
Same scenario as mine. I took my test in May, approved October. OH took test in July, approved same day. No idea why!

Frustrating, especially waiting as long as you did! Hopefully not that long, but who knows!

1 hour ago, Sigemup said:

 

Hi Millski88,

 

Regarding the Form 80 point in the above question. I thought form-80 was required since I read many forum posts about the application asking for details of  overseas travel. So I assumed it was in Form-80 that this needs to be filled. Also, I may have read (but not sure if I have read it) somewhere in forums people submitting Form-80 for the citizenship application or being asked to upload it. Have you come across such a requirement in your reading anywhere on this ? 

 

 

In the citizenship application itself there is a 'Countries Resided/Visited' section which resembles the section in the Form 80. I haven't personally heard of anyone having to submit the full form 80 for citizenship.

Mentioned elsewhere, the form 1300t gives you an overview of the citizenship application before you can access the online version:

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/1300t.pdf

See page 24 - Part G.

OH took the test and passed today. she won't blow her own trumpet like me but she passed 100% 

She's now APPROVED immediately this afternoon  

I'm sure this has been answered a million times before, but is it likely just due to different case officers 'queues'? i.e. - OH's police checks came back quickly this afternoon and case officer was quick off the mark to check and approve, whereas mine might be sitting with a more over-loaded case officer with a pile of cases?

Anyway, good news all round!

5 hours ago, Sigemup said:

Thank you millski88!

Millski88, guys, 

1. It has been about 4 years since I got this. And as of now I am a software engineer. I want to just look at various scenarios as I read the question and 
the reply to it  

2. As I understand, I am not a sole trader. I meant to ask about Stock / Share Market traders. Like investing in stock etc. as a private individual. If share trading
 is how money were to be made, I am not aware of any declaration or registrations are to be made ? Do you think there are (of course I would as a tax agent) but 
 just want to check what you meant by this ? As of now, mu income is in terms from being software person. So almost all tax deduction is from Sal. 

 There are a couple of things I need to check though from tax perspective.

 1. About a year ago, I had to pay medicare surcharge for the first timw about $1400. This was given when I lodged the tax return without a tax agent 
for the first time (and 2nd overall) and was not sure about how to pay it. I got busy in something and forgot about it. Then about 4 or  5 months after that
I received a letter from probe collections to pay it. I opened the box about 10 days after it was delivered and I immediately paid it and it shows zero 
balance after that. 

Is this a concern ? 

 2. I did a masters degree in IT (part time) as a PR person. I am filed this years tax with agent and was informed the course fee is tax deductible. So the tax filing
    has requested a refund. Also, the prev tax return, the tax agent said can be amended and more fees can be claimed as tax deductible. I have given all
    the invoice to the tax agent. 

   Is 1. claiming this tax refund and 2. filing amendment for prev tax return to claim more of the fees as tax deductible ok ? 
        Or could there be any concern in this?   

1. No need to worry about occupation being software developer then.

2. I don't know anything about being self employed to be honest, i was generally referring to ensuring everything with government is above board in how you are earning an income.

then:

1. Apologies, i really don't know about tax/medicare charges and their impact. The ATO would be able to tell you if you owe anything or what you need to do. So long as you're on top of your account, regardless of whether you owe anything, i can't see DOHA using it against you.

2. This has turned in to a tax conversation and i'm really not sure about this stuff i'm afraid. My guidance is to generally ensure nothing is 'untoward' with anything government related. Owing to the ATO is not a crime, but being in touch with them and on top of your accounts could only work in your favour.

So you have the original birth certificate, correct? Certified documents are no longer required for online citizenship apps, so they're not going to be checking for a certified copy in person, they need the original.

I've very recently sat my interview (VIC - Melbourne CBD office) and i might be able to bring some comfort here -

I took absolutely everything on my app, plus extra proof of address which i had lying around.

What i was asked for:

- Passport
- Birth cert
- Driving license (for address)

What i was NOT asked for:

- Original Form 1195 and photo (i offered but was told "we've got the scan here, it's fine")
- Other proof of address docs uploaded on my application
- Evidence of arrival docs uploaded on my application

It's not to say this will be the same across the board, but i was surprised after the instruction on the letter how little they actually wanted.

Just take everything you've got available, wait to be asked for each thing rather than trying to explain or offer alternatives, and there's a good chance you'll have everything required IMO.

Hope this helps a bit.
 

4 hours ago, Sigemup said:

Hi guys,

Read the above quoted question (and reply) and wanted ask another question about it to clarify:

- If I was a Software Engineer when given the PR, and  I am just traveling around in Australia (or simply doing nothing) and living on savings when I do the application, what do I need to put ? (and is it ok to be doing this (traveling around in Australia using saving or simply doing nothing and living on saving) from the application perspective? ) 

- If  If I was a Software Engineer when given the PR and now I am doing share trading as a private individual (not at any company or anything like that, then what do I need to put ? (and is it ok to be doing this - share trading as a private individual for living from the application perspective?)

 

Thank you

 

There are no occupation requirements for citizenship, so strictly speaking you can put whatever you like. Being an extra-cautious 'no stone unturned' kind of mind myself, I would give consideration to a couple of things, but note that this is only because i value absolute peace of mind. 99% sure these things wouldn't even come up...

1. Time since you got PR

How long since you got your PR as a Software Engineer?

Even though we can be fairly confident in our PR (186) status if leaving our sponsored employer in less than two years, we can't make assumptions on how this may be considered by a case officer when progressing to citizenship.

I'm sure it would never effect your chance of being granted citizenship, but if your app goes in less than 2 years after gaining the PR and the occupation you state is far removed from that on your PR, then for extra peace of mind you could consider preparing an answer for why that is, based on a review of the wording around the '2 year employer commitment' part of your PR. Just to ensure it is less fiddly and time consuming should it ever arise.

2. Being 'above board' as a sole-trader

Put an occupation that aligns truthfully with what you do, obviously, but if the private share trader is a recent full-time occupation, have you declared this; made any necessary registrations; and are all of your Australian tax affairs 100% present, correct and up-to-date?

There's nothing to indicate a cross-check with the ATO has anything to do with the citizenship application process. For me personally again its about 'leaving no stone unturned' and ensuring everything is transparent and above board. There has been reports of some involvement between ATO and immigration for visa application processing floating around, so that'd where my extra-cautious mind goes.

These thoughts/ramblings are only to make life easier and to leave less to chance. There's every chance your application would breeze through without taking these in to account.

52 minutes ago, Rvee said:

Hi millski88

Thanks for answer 

city is Melbourne 

council : hume council

Cool cool. I'm Melbourne - Moreland Council. Timeline in signature.

Definitely keep us updated!

2 hours ago, Rvee said:

HI FRIENDS

Date of Application: August 10 2019

citizenship Test invitation date: Oct  21 2019

Test Date : 21 Feb 2020

Changed Test Date: 23 OCT 2019

Test passed but still shows in immi account RECEIVED 

anyone knows why ?

thanks

Ceremony Date: waiting

 

 

Hey Rvee. We're pretty close in dates. What city and council area are you in?

And yes as mentioned - they need to run police clearance and have a final review before approving (mine is still received too). 

I had a recent AFP check certificate hard copy with me at my interview, I offered it to the case officer but they declined it as the check has to be lodged through their system.

18 hours ago, Georgiegie said:

Hi everyone, 

I have a question regarding my online citizenship application. If you could help me out, I'd be much obliged. 

Which occupation should I list under "Occupation (ANZSCO)":

• my current one (I am a full-time STUDENT receiving Centrelink Ausstudy allowance) OR
• the one that got assessed for my PR (EXTERNAL AUDITOR).  I worked for 3 years in corporate finance/accounting before deciding to change career direction and going back to uni.

Thanks heaps! 

Current one. I don't see a reason to put your previous one as there's nothing riding on you still being in the job you got PR on, especially 3 years later. You're allowed to be a full time student, aren't you?

I'll let others chime in of course!

1 hour ago, Lasanga Herath said:

*****UPDATE******

City/Council area - CITY OF CASEY
Online / Paper - ONLINE
Date of Application - 16-AUG-2019
Date of email - 21-Nov-2019

it appears the turnaround time for letter is now 3 months. The test date is March 2020

That's super quick.

Just to note though, we could never claim a specific 'turnaround time' across the board for any part of the application. For you it was 3 months, for the next application it could be a lot longer, or shorter, no one knows!

6 minutes ago, andrewajp002 said:

I submitted my application just now, hopefully it wont take long

As for the app for the test, does anyone know if there is a similar one for windows or android?

https://apps.apple.com/au/app/australia-citizenship-test/id543949259

Thanks

Andrew

 

Yep

All the app questions available online for free: https://citizenshiptests.org/australian-citizenship-test/

(you can even do 'marathon' tests of all the questions in one go)

Also an Android version of the app available: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.northpole.world.citizenshiptest.australia.free&hl=en