Changes to pathway to Citizenship

[logbook100]

They now have backlog of more than 81,000 applications to be processed and still counting......

 

Http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/punjabi/en/article/2017/06/27/over-81000-citizenship-applications-awaiting-processing

[jess6]

1 hour ago, Roberta2 said:

Senator Lee Rhiannon is the closest we have, and she is only one senator.  She and her parents were longtime communists.  They continued to support the Soviet Union after the tanks were sent into Prague in 1968, and were then expelled from the Communist Party.  They then started the Australian Socialists,  with the support of the most radical unions.  After the fall of the Wall, she and her ilk became watermelons - Green on the outside but still red on the inside.  Bob Brown has been trying to get rid of her for some time - she gave him a lot more scope last week re what happened on Gonski 2 in the Senate.  But she won't go easily.  As for the ALP, it learned its lesson during the Split in the 1950s, which kept it out of power for 23 years.  It's basically a party of pragmatists which dumped the "socialist objective" some time ago.

Thanks for this too. That confirms my impressions. 

[wombatinabox]

13 minutes ago, logbook100 said:

They now have backlog of more than 81,000 applications to be processed and still counting......

 

Http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/punjabi/en/article/2017/06/27/over-81000-citizenship-applications-awaiting-processing

We all here predicted this, expect the backlog to double, triple the longer it takes for these new laws (hopefully thrown out)

Either way we are looking at an extended wait for all post April 20 apps, most likely between 1-2 years as opposed to 6 months in the past. Very unfortunate 

Edited June 28, 2017 by wombatinabox

[wombatinabox]

20 minutes ago, logbook100 said:

They now have backlog of more than 81,000 applications to be processed and still counting......

 

Http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/punjabi/en/article/2017/06/27/over-81000-citizenship-applications-awaiting-processing

In the end, you'll have potentially 700K future Citizens who will never ever vote for Liberal Party. This experience will leave such a bitter taste. Not just those who already have PR but those who came in work visas now realising they will have to burn through more of their lives to gain citizenship. 

Labour will gain huge number of future votes if they strongly opposed these changes.

[wombatinabox]

9 hours ago, seeker said:

So.. It due date is September in september?

What is the situation of the people who lodged the applications after April 20th?. Are they allowed to travel outside Australia for few months? Should they need inform DIBP before they travel? will their applications considered if they are outside of Australia  when Citizenship application is in progress?

There are no restrictions on travel. After you've met your requirements that's it. You will get comms by email and mail 

[wombatinabox]

Just a reminder folks, everyone affected by this, it is your duty to do the following:

1. Make sure you submit your story and objections to Tony Burke of the Labour party here 

https://www.tonyburke.com.au/get-active/citizenshippetition

 

2. Search for your local MP and senator using this website http://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Members and email them to reject the new proposed changes.

3. And finally Nick Xenophon is leaning towards opposing this bill. He is a powerful senator and often holds the balance of power in terms of decisions.

We need to persuade him to oppose this bill, email him here

https://nick.nxtmps.org.au/contact/

 

Edited June 28, 2017 by wombatinabox

[jess6]

21 minutes ago, wombatinabox said:

Just a reminder folks, everyone affected by this, it is your duty to do the following:

1. Make sure you submit your story and objections to Tony Burke of the Labour party here 

https://www.tonyburke.com.au/get-active/citizenshippetition

 

2. Search for your local MP and senator using this website http://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Members and email them to reject the new proposed changes.

3. And finally Nick Xenophon is leaning towards opposing this bill. He is a powerful senator and often holds the balance of power in terms of decisions.

We need to persuade him to oppose this bill, email him here

https://nick.nxtmps.org.au/contact/

 

I have a question for you: in terms of senator, would you simply email the senator of the party you support? 

If I understand well, we do not have a local Senator, we just have a bunch of senators representing our State.

Just wondering what's the most effective way to convince additional people. 

[Spinny]

6 hours ago, Parley said:

Malcolm has taken the Liberal party to the verge of a split.

I will be voting for either One Nation or Cory Bernadi at the next election unless Tony Abbott is back as PM before then.

Only then will I resume voting for the Liberals.

Why not Shooters and Fishers? Pauline's looney tunes!

[jess6]

7 hours ago, Spinny said:

Why not Shooters and Fishers? Pauline's looney tunes!

 

[Roberta2]

Well, Xenophon has parents who migrated from Cyprus and Greece.  His views on most things are fairly middle of the road.  Lambie has been outspoken on "ban the burka" (she means the niqab- has anyone ever actually seen a burka in Australia?) and terrorism, but generally votes against the government.   Hinch has generally shown middle of the road views and is a canny negotiator.  Gichuhi is the first black African woman to sit in the Senate, seems to be socially conservative, but her views on a lot of things are not known. (I thought her maiden speech was the most interesting for years.  She is definitely her own woman.  A lawyer, like Xenophon)  Leyonhjelm is a liberterian - socially very  conservative and basically wants to get the government out of the way (pro guns etc)

To have a better idea of how each Senator might vote, you'd have to examine how they've voted on re similar issues, and follow their Twitter feed!  If anyone has the time....

I do think Xenophon will be the key, especially if the Greens decide to oppose outright.  A lot will also depend on the negotiating skills of those in the Senate who have to run this for Dutton (who is in the House of Reps)  - especially Senator Cash, who represents Dutton in the Senate.  She in the past has shown a willingness and ability to cultivate Hanson, e.g. over the union bills.  But really, it's all anyone's guess at this stage...

To add to it all, both the Coalition and the Greens are showing their internal divisions right now.  Though maybe Abbott has just overplayed his hand - Dutton's comments today quite interesting.  i.e. let's not hand the next election to Shorten.

And it also looks as if the next parliamentary session will be dominated by the Higher Education Bill.   This issue must be resolved, because universities and students need to know very soon how much they have to pay next year etc etc.  It's been hanging around since Abbott's dud budget in 2014. 

 Possible that the Citizenship Bill could be deferred again  - no idea, really.

[jolie2015]

Love your thoughtful insights into aussie politics, Roberta2  I do learn a lot from your posts!

It came as a surprise to me that the Government decided to do the Bill readings this June, wasn't expecting to see some action until the end of the year as they put it on the "Strengthening the Requirements..." paper back in April. Did they expect to have support from the Labor party right away and hence a smooth pass of the Bill through the Senate? Do these changes have anything to do with Dutton's alleged ambitions to replace Malcolm Turnbull? He seems to be showing off some muscle, appealing to -I guess- a certain demographic of anti-immigration voters in QLD.

 

[Roberta2]

I suspect the government initially did think Shorten would be on board because Shorten has shown himself unwilling - in the light of recent history- to allow much daylight between himself and the government on national security/refugee/asylum issues.   Dutton's electorate of Dickson is based in Strathpine, in the northern outskirts of Brisbane.  About 20ks from the CBD.    He holds it by a very small margin.  Similar demographics to One Nation's heartland near Ipswich/Gatton.  He will certainly be feeling the heat from them.   

All politicians think they are prospective PMs, but I sense that Dutton is now joining the ranks of those who think Abbott has gone too far. There's a strong move behind the scenes, from the moderates who control the Liberal Party in NSW,  to get a good candidate to run against Abbott for pre selection in his own seat.  

Yes, Dutton will want a win, but he won't want to crash in flames either, so will have to compromise on the Citizenship bill.  Dutton, a former cop, has shown that he is tough.  But if he wants to be PM, there a lot of rivals for that job (including ScoMo) and he needs to show also that he is smart, and has the ability to compromise when necessary.   Being a headkicker gets you only so far.  Paul Keating, for example, was a headkicker (and very witty, which Dutton is not) but he was also smart. 

Actually, watching Senator Birmingham last week, I did wonder whether he might be a future contender for the top job.  If he hadn't bothered to go and visit Lambie in her home town, in a heavily Catholic area,  she probably would not have voted for his education bill. He's in the wrong House of course, but that can be fixed....Maybe I'm dreaming....But if you can get that far in politics with ears like a VW with its doors open, greater things might be possible...

[Dana]

 

 

My suggestion is about 4 years stay AFTER getting Permanent Residency to be eligible to apply for citizenship. 

 

This condition should be for the residents who are not Permanent Residents as on 20th April 2017 , instead of backdating to applicants who are already Permanent Residents on or prior to 20th April 2017 and who have been preparing to satisfy the other requirements to apply for citizenship and looking forward to it.  

Also, the period of stay in Australia as resident under other visa  categories/temporary resident should be accounted and considered to apply the 4 year rule, like myself who has been living in Australia for last 16 years as temporary resident, following and cherishing Australian values ,lifestyle and paying tax.  

Dana

[ovel]

13 hours ago, Roberta2 said:

I suspect the government initially did think Shorten would be on board because Shorten has shown himself unwilling - in the light of recent history- to allow much daylight between himself and the government on national security/refugee/asylum issues.   Dutton's electorate of Dickson is based in Strathpine, in the northern outskirts of Brisbane.  About 20ks from the CBD.    He holds it by a very small margin.  Similar demographics to One Nation's heartland near Ipswich/Gatton.  He will certainly be feeling the heat from them.   

All politicians think they are prospective PMs, but I sense that Dutton is now joining the ranks of those who think Abbott has gone too far. There's a strong move behind the scenes, from the moderates who control the Liberal Party in NSW,  to get a good candidate to run against Abbott for pre selection in his own seat.  

Yes, Dutton will want a win, but he won't want to crash in flames either, so will have to compromise on the Citizenship bill.  Dutton, a former cop, has shown that he is tough.  But if he wants to be PM, there a lot of rivals for that job (including ScoMo) and he needs to show also that he is smart, and has the ability to compromise when necessary.   Being a headkicker gets you only so far.  Paul Keating, for example, was a headkicker (and very witty, which Dutton is not) but he was also smart. 

Actually, watching Senator Birmingham last week, I did wonder whether he might be a future contender for the top job.  If he hadn't bothered to go and visit Lambie in her home town, in a heavily Catholic area,  she probably would not have voted for his education bill. He's in the wrong House of course, but that can be fixed....Maybe I'm dreaming....But if you can get that far in politics with ears like a VW with its doors open, greater things might be possible...

I live in Dutton's electorate area, and sent him an email recently saying that I'm not going to vote for him because of these new rules. 

[Manal]

On 2017-6-21 at 22:54, wombatinabox said:

So you applied after April 20 and got an exception by complaining to your MP? That's amazing, this clearly means there is no legal basis for the application freeze by Dutton.

 

I wonder if anyone can do this, I suggest everyone to speak to their MP and see if you can get your application unfroze / processed under old rules.

Hi there..
I've read ur story with regards to citizenship and surprisingly I have the same story a bit different though.. I was just wondering if u can help me and tell who did u contact and how long did you wait?
Thanks 

[Roberta2]

49 minutes ago, ovel said:

I live in Dutton's electorate area, and sent him an email recently saying that I'm not going to vote for him because of these new rules. 

They aren't new rules yet. You could also send e mails to the key crossbench senators.  Re the time between becoming PR and being eligible for citizenship - the Senators will look closely at practice in comparable countries.  There is international competition for well educated workers and Australia won't want to risk shooting itself in the foot.  We always see ourselves in competition with NZ and Canada in particular.  

[CowlingAFC]

Hi

 

i have read a few of these posts but have a question if anyone could please assist 

i am eligible to apply for my citizenship in January 2018 (4years as PR) and going by a couple of comments it. Is looks like the wait could be a year or more compared to the previous estimated time of 3-6months. 

Once I submit my application for Citizenship,is there anything stopping me from returning to the uk while the application is being processed? And staying there until my Citizenship is granted? 

 

Thanks in advance  

[Ken]

2 hours ago, CowlingAFC said:

Hi

 

i have read a few of these posts but have a question if anyone could please assist 

i am eligible to apply for my citizenship in January 2018 (4years as PR) and going by a couple of comments it. Is looks like the wait could be a year or more compared to the previous estimated time of 3-6months. 

Once I submit my application for Citizenship,is there anything stopping me from returning to the uk while the application is being processed? And staying there until my Citizenship is granted? 

 

Thanks in advance  

Only obvious issue is that your Citizenship is granted at your Citizenship ceremony. Are you going to have an address for the invitation to be sent to so that you can come back and attend it?

[CowlingAFC]

Yes of course mate. 

 

 

[silencio]

No, it won't. Your application needs to be approved first before being granted and that required to be a resident.

Edited July 2, 2017 by silencio

[silencio]

On ‎26‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 13:20, jess6 said:

I know of a few people around me re-starting a career and re-studying in their 40's. Why would migrants be any different?

I am quite confident that some well educated migrants would be comfortable with a political career.

At the end of the day, it's always the same: what applies to you does not apply for everyone ; your belief system and reality are just yours.

It's not because you are not interested that the opportunity should be removed from others!

Before you lodge a comment I never claimed that studying above 40 is impossible, I said it's 'unlikely' in other words not many middle aged people will attend a Uni. When I have got the time I will post a link with the age structure of Australian Universities and their median age range and also the cost of attending a successful study of medicine and law. Then you can lodge your comment.

I used to work in the Aged Care sector and can tell you about many adult children don't give a toss about to care for their elderly parents!!! This is a reality many don't want to hear and has nothing to do with my belief system as you haven't seen what I have seen!  You don't know me or my belief system, either!

 I still hold respect for everybody who honestly cares and look after their elderly parents but I was pointing out to the realistic scenario to relocate 'on the spot' around the world for more than 5 years and than coming back to Australia again. So you will obviously relocate your children 3 times???? As adolescents don't want to relocate several times. Obviously not many people responding to my 'rude' = blunt + realistic post have children anymore and are all blessed to own a house outright!  And never get too old themselves for the Australian job market as they may not need to work anymore and living on the inheritance of the departed. Good on ya

Edited July 2, 2017 by silencio

[silencio]

Julia Gillard + Mathias Corman are 2 well educated migrants with a successful Federal career for instance. But on the flip side had to renounce their citizenship or origin.

The statement - though I deeply respect it's true intention and honestly belief that many of us care for our frail and sick parents only very few are going to relocate on the other side of the world again - it's such an banal and bathetic statement I hear over and over again and at the end of the day when you ask not only migrants but also family living interstate far away from their parents  who really made the move it it's just so shattering to acknowledge that only a minority is really able to do so.

Edited July 2, 2017 by silencio

[jess6]

17 hours ago, silencio said:

Before you lodge a comment I never claimed that studying above 40 is impossible, I said it's 'unlikely' in other words not many middle aged people will attend a Uni. When I have got the time I will post a link with the age structure of Australian Universities and their median age range and also the cost of attending a successful study of medicine and law. Then you can lodge your comment.

I used to work in the Aged Care sector and can tell you about many adult children don't give a toss about to care for their elderly parents!!! This is a reality many don't want to hear and has nothing to do with my belief system as you haven't seen what I have seen!  You don't know me or my belief system, either!

 I still hold respect for everybody who honestly cares and look after their elderly parents but I was pointing out to the realistic scenario to relocate 'on the spot' around the world for more than 5 years and than coming back to Australia again. So you will obviously relocate your children 3 times???? As adolescents don't want to relocate several times. Obviously not many people responding to my 'rude' = blunt + realistic post have children anymore and are all blessed to own a house outright!  And never get too old themselves for the Australian job market as they may not need to work anymore and living on the inheritance of the departed. Good on ya

I will not answer because you quote me but address several people here and you also address different problematics.

From my perspective, people should be given as many options as possible because everyone is different, has different circumstances and will make different choices based on these circumstances.

Regarding your comment on my decision to lodge comments or not, I will use my freedom of speech and will continue lodging comments if I feel like it, as far as I know I did not insult anybody.

Have a nice week!

[welljock]

On 6/28/2017 at 18:35, wombatinabox said:

In the end, you'll have potentially 700K future Citizens who will never ever vote for Liberal Party. This experience will leave such a bitter taste. Not just those who already have PR but those who came in work visas now realising they will have to burn through more of their lives to gain citizenship. 

Labour will gain huge number of future votes if they strongly opposed these changes.

You could argue that if you qualify under the new regs (ie everyone who first came out on a PR visa) that's it's Labour that's holding up the your application

[Spinny]

3 hours ago, welljock said:

You could argue that if you qualify under the new regs (ie everyone who first came out on a PR visa) that's it's Labour that's holding up the your application

That would be a hard sale!