Milano

The link you posted is for passport applications, not citizenship applications. These are completely two different things that are managed by two different departments. Anyways, @Want2BeOZ it is best not to take advice from people (including myself) on the Internet. Give DoHA a call to get a definite answer.

My friend applied for citizenship in 2019 and his passport expired in 2011. He never renewed his international passport while his citizenship application was in progress. He faced no issues and he became Australian in Oct 2019. I have no idea how some people are saying you have to have a current passport! Is this stated in DoHA website? I highly doubt it is as it directly contradicts my friend's experience.

I picked up my passport today morning from the passport office in Melbourne. Here is my final timeline: Submitted citizenship application (online): 14-June-2019 Received Test Invitation: 14-November-2019 Initial Test Date: 16-March-2020 Rescheduled Test Date: 15-November-2019 Approval (online): 25-November-2019 Citizenship Ceremony Invitation (email): 09-December-2019 Citizenship Ceremony Date: 26-January-2020 Submitted Passport Application (paper): 28-January-2020 Picked up Passport from Passport Office: 29-January-2020 Note that lodged my passport application in a post office that provides the Passport RAPID service, and I also paid the priority fee.

Yes you must select the office that is closest to where you live. The question in the citizenship application explicitly asks the applicant to do so. Below is the exact wording of the question: "Which is the immigration office closest to where the applicant lives?"

Thank you!

Finally, my journey has come to an end! I have just recieved an invitation by email to attend the citizenship ceremony. My final timeline: Application submitted (online): 14-Jun-2019 Citizenship appointment email: 14-Nov-2019 Citizenship appointment: 15-Nov-2019 (Rescheduled from 16-Mar-2020) Approval (online): 25-Nov-2019 Citizenship ceremony invitation (via email): 09-Dec-2019 Citizenship ceremony date: 26-Jan-2020 Council: City of Darebin, VIC The citizenship ceremony that I was invited to will be in Melbourne Showgrounds Good luck everyone.

According to DoHA website: Evidence of date of birth and any changes of name Provide a full birth certificate that shows your parents' names. If you cannot give us a birth certificate, provide a family or household registration document or any other collection of documents issued to you prior to your arrival in Australia that collectively confirm your identity from birth Documents showing evidence of a change of name include: an official (non-commemorative) marriage or divorce certificate change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or the relevant overseas authority other official documents that show links between names you have been known by https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizenship/become-a-citizen/permanent-resident#HowTo

I had the exact opposite problem. My given names in my birth certificate are typed in full (e.g. Alfred Benjamin Charles). All my other ID documents (passport, driver licence, etc...) have my middle names typed as initials (e.g. Alfred B C). I did not face any problem & my application was approved. Nevertheless, my case officer told me that my given names on the citizenship certificate will be typed as it appears on my passport (i.e. Alfred B C), which is not an issue for me.

My updated timeline: Application submitted (online): 14 -Jun-2019 Citizenship appointment email: 14-Nov-2019 Citizenship appointment: 15-Nov-2019 (Rescheduled from 16-Mar-2020) Approval (online): 25-Nov-2019 Council: City of Darebin, VIC

When you were granted a RRV on Jan 2015, did the grant letter have a "Must Make First Entry to Australia Before" date? If it did, did you enter Australia before that date?

I did not face the same issue, but I think you can use form 1359 (Request for International Movement Record) to prove your first entry date to Australia. You should fill the form and send it with proof of your identity (i.e driver licence) to request.movement@homeaffairs.gov.au. It will take DoHA 14 business days (which equates to 3 calendar weeks) to get back to you with your movement record. The movement record that DoHA will send to you will be a PDF file that looks like the attached screenshot. It will have all of your arrivals and departures to and from Australia within the time range that you specify in form 1359. I submitted form 1359 twice in the past, and in both occasions I got my movement record in the 14th business days after I submitted the form. So I suggest you fill and send the form with your ID ASAP since your appointment is in 4 weeks.

No worries As for the ceremony invitation, some applicants receive the ceremony invitation via both post and email; while some other applicants receive the ceremony invitation via post only. It is inconsistent.

I think if you inform DoHA now of your new address, then they will cancel your appointment in the ACT and book a new appointment for you in NSW, which may or may not cause delays (really depends on the availability of appointments in NSW). If I were you & assuming you have no issues attending the appointment in the ACT, I will do the citizenship test & interview in the ACT, and I will bring to the interview the proof of the new residence in NSW (can be a utility bill or your NSW driver licnece) so that the interviewer will update the system accordingly. This will ensure that you will have your citizenship ceremony in your council in NSW. BTW, you can reschedule your existing appointment via this website https://appointments.homeaffairs.gov.au/login. You may be able to find an available appointment before 23 Jan 2020. However, you cannot relocate your appointment from the ACT to NSW using the website I mentioned (only DoHA staff can do that).

The citizenship appointment email has the details of the location where your citizenship interview and test will take place. Where were you located before moving to Sydney? Were you in NSW or were you in another state? If you were located in another state then it is almost certain that your citizenship appointment will be in the state where you used to live before relocating to Sydney.

I agree with you. One of my friends, who was on humanitarian humanitarian permanent resident visa, applied and acquired Australian citizenship within a year (which is very fast considering that he applied in August 2017 when processing of citizenship applications was on hold and the backlog was gigantic). Another friend, who was on partner permanent resident visa and then subsequently on RRV, applied and Australian citizenship within 8 months (he applied on Jan 2019). DoHA's process is simply a mystery to us.