Advice needed on Citizenship process please!

[lostinlife]

Hello there,

 

I see all of you here are quite knowledged on the Migrating rules and procedures.

Can someone please walk me through the citizenship process. I have not applied for it yet but I want to understand the time it may consume as i have to make a decision of whether to stay or leave Australia.

 

So If I apply for my citizenship in December 2014, Do I have to wait for it to get approved or can I leave the country and return to Australia for the test/ceremony?

I believe we can remain out of Australia for 90 days in total during the one year period of being a PR.

 

How long can the whole procedure take from applying the citizenship to getting approves, undergoing the test then ceremony and lastly passport? Do I have to remain in the country for all that time or Can I be in and out of the country as I am planning to move back home asap.

 

Thanks

[boganbear]

From applying to completing the test took 3 days but I had to wait 6 months to get a ceremony. Applied gift passport day after ceremony and got. The passport in 2 weeks. The requirement for a ceremony would not be so ludicrous if councils and MPs got their backsides in gear and organised events properly. I see absolutely no need for an MP to attend and I think they do this just to try your patience.

[Guest]

You can leave the country whilst waiting for your citizenship ceremony, you aren't a citizen at that point and simply use your existing passport.

 

You would need an Australian address for the invite and passport though and be aware that citizenship requires a commitment to Australia so if it was known that you intended to leave it may not be granted. You must have an address that you can prove you are resident at to apply for a passport which caused us difficulty as we had sold our house and were moving to a holiday rental.

 

We applied in December, had our test January, our ceremony June and got our passports a couple of weeks later (you can pay for an express service which is 5 days I think) and returned to the UK in July.

[Que Sera Sera]

If you leave the country after you've done the test/interview even if you've been accepted you are not a citizen until the ceremony so remember you will need to be back in Australia before your current visa runs out or get the rrv. We applied 1/7/14 got our test/interview 29/7/2014. Waiting now for the ceremony.

[rachandkev]

did you find out anymore on this 'lostinlife?'. We will b in a similar position most likely next year. We are planning on going back to the UK for a few years but want to apply for our citizenship as soon as weve done our 4 years. However to then return to Australia, how do we get a passport without an Australian address????

[darkstone1975]

Passport does not require residency in Australia only thing stopping you getting passport is if you are a citizen, but to add, your not supposed to leave Australia with out an Australian passport if you are a citizen

 

The citizenship process does though require you to be in the country.

If at any point in the Citizenship process you exit the country you are supposed to notify them and the process is suspended till you return.

I would dare say they could confirm based on your current passport that you left the country and when you returned.

[rachandkev]

Thanks for this, however one of the administrators replied to another post of mine and explained that I can apply for citizenship when I'm in the UK, including attending interview and sitting test, but I shall probably have to return to Austrasia for the ceremony.