Changes to pathway to Citizenship

[ian360]

Well Turnbull said here:
 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-20/turnbull-grilled-by-leigh-sales-over-australian-citizenship-test/8459326?sf71977880=1

"Freedom, equality of men and women, mutual respect, the rule of law, democracy, a fair go — that's our Australian values,"

Mutual respect? A fair go? I don't think changing the rules for the many people already on PR is mutual respect. You wouldn't buy a new fridge with a 4 year warranty, after 2 years it breaks so you decide to return it, only to be told that in fact they have now changed it to a 1 year warranty so you are out of luck.

So maybe if you do feel that "mutual respect" and "a fair go" is important, give the current PR holders the deal they signed up for. It works both ways! 

Edited April 21, 2017 by ian360
typo

[elderberry]

21 hours ago, Stevwtosh said:

Nope am sailing in the boat as everyone does. What am saying is that it should be the old system for current PR holder's i.e legally lived in Australia for 4 years and with 1 year on PR. So what am saying is that it would be unfair for someone who have lived here for 3 years legally and maybe just 3 weeks away to be on PR for a year to qualify for Citizenship that have to now wait 3 more years to be eligible. This is why I said Immigration don't normally operate like this. It's should be for new granted PR holder's. Just my thought

You're not in the same boat as those that arrived here on anything other than PR.

If you had PR in 2012 and then arrived in 2016, then you can apply for citizenship sometime on 2019.

i.e. A PR for 4 years with 3 years resident in Australia and no more than 12 months overseas

[addi11d]

Hi All, 

I have a friend who got his PR in Feb 2017 whilst living in Australia on a temporary business visa for ~ 6 years prior.  Question: Would the 4 years wait apply to such applicants who are already permanent residents before the rule change was announced? 

 

Apologies if this was discussed earlier. 

 

[faol]

3 hours ago, KidA said:

They will be frozen.

I'm hoping that Labour opposes and that it won't go through, in it's current form at least.  If Labour opposes then the government will need the support of eight crossbenchers in the Senate. 

I'm going to apply today and hope for the best. 

Applications which are already submitted prior to 20th April will not be frozen

"The package of reforms will apply to applications received on or after the
Government’s announcement on 20 April 2017". 

Please tell us whether you were successful to apply

[Rick89]

I have just spoke to immi. My PR was granted march last year. I started my application prior to the 20th and completed it yesterday and paid for it. There were no warnings at the submitting stage regards the changes.

The guy i spoke to said hes not sure if my application will go through or not. As far as hes aware there will be talks regards yesterdays applications and what to do with them. As it stands now any application made on or after the 20th and doesnt meet the 4 years will be declined. Then he went on to say "maybe i will get SOME of the money back" . Surely they will have to refund all of the fee ,considering they allowed me to submit and pay for my application without any direct warnings at the time of lodgement if this is to be the case.

Not being able to apply for citizenship can have a large impact on some people. There are jobs i will now have to wait another 3 years to be able to apply for.

Petition 

https://www.change.org/p/department-of-immigration-and-border-protection-australia-vote-against-4-years-after-pr-eligibility-towards-oz-citizenship?source_location=minibar

[Sheila]

I applied on 18th , Am I save ?

[Rick89]

2 minutes ago, Sheila said:

I applied on 18th , Am I save ?

Based on what news has been released and what immi are saying, Yes as long as you submitted and paid before the 20th 

[Sheila]

Yes I paid and submitted on 18th

[ian360]

14 minutes ago, Sheila said:

I applied on 18th , Am I save ?

Yes, you are safe.

[Sheila]

1 hour ago, faol said:

Applications which are already submitted prior to 20th April will not be frozen

"The package of reforms will apply to applications received on or after the
Government’s announcement on 20 April 2017". 

Please tell us whether you were successful to apply

Thanks

[rammygirl]

1 hour ago, Rick89 said:

I have just spoke to immi. My PR was granted march last year. I started my application prior to the 20th and completed it yesterday and paid for it. There were no warnings at the submitting stage regards the changes.

The guy i spoke to said hes not sure if my application will go through or not. As far as hes aware there will be talks regards yesterdays applications and what to do with them. As it stands now any application made on or after the 20th and doesnt meet the 4 years will be declined. Then he went on to say "maybe i will get SOME of the money back" . Surely they will have to refund all of the fee ,considering they allowed me to submit and pay for my application without any direct warnings at the time of lodgement if this is to be the case.

Not being able to apply for citizenship can have a large impact on some people. There are jobs i will now have to wait another 3 years to be able to apply for.

Petition 

https://www.change.org/p/department-of-immigration-and-border-protection-australia-vote-against-4-years-after-pr-eligibility-towards-oz-citizenship?source_location=minibar

We are in same boat I finished my sons application with him yeasterday morning and paid the fee for him.  At the time there were no warnings or information on the website.  We had started the process last week but had just got the ID form signed at the weekend.  He will qualify under the new rules in January 2018 but needed the citizenship for HE loan.

 

We don't qualify until Late May under old rules as we spent more time outside Australia.  Not such a biggie for us to wait til next year though.

 

Son has had no info since receiving confirmation of lodging so fingers crossed they might process as like you no info on website at the time.

 

[Keep me in oz]

I wonder if they can decline them if you put an app in now but the legislation isnt in affect yet! a declined application might be a bad tarnish right?

[politedave82]

3 hours ago, addi11d said:

Hi All, 

I have a friend who got his PR in Feb 2017 whilst living in Australia on a temporary business visa for ~ 6 years prior.  Question: Would the 4 years wait apply to such applicants who are already permanent residents before the rule change was announced? 

 

Apologies if this was discussed earlier. 

 

In short, yes. He would have to be a PR for 4 years before becoming eligible for citizenship. He has to wait until Feb 2021 to apply.

[wombatinabox]

So it is safe to say ALL Citizenship Applications applied April 20 2017 and onwards will be FROZEN/ON HOLD until parliament approved th

[Keep me in oz]

18 minutes ago, wombatinabox said:

So it is safe to say ALL Citizenship Applications applied April 20 2017 and onwards will be FROZEN/ON HOLD until parliament approved th

Have you recently applied? I am trying to work out whether to put my app in or not? I am eligible soon under the old rules but not the new!

[wombatinabox]

2 hours ago, Keep me in oz said:

Have you recently applied? I am trying to work out whether to put my app in or not? I am eligible soon under the old rules but not the new!

No Im talking about those who are eligible under the NEW System, which I will be eligible in June 2017.

 

So Even if you are eligible under new system, if you apply on or after April 20, your application won't go forward until the new rules, tests and integration evidence is approved by Parliament and are ready in 2018 . This will be a massive delay and create a huge back log for all citizenship applicants who apply after april 20. 

 

Good luck to us all

Edited April 21, 2017 by wombatinabox

[KidA]

23 minutes ago, wombatinabox said:

No Im talking about those who are eligible under the NEW System, which I will be eligible in June 2017.

 

So Even if you are eligible under new system, if you apply on or after April 20, your application won't go forward until the new rules, tests and integration evidence is approved by Parliament and are ready in 2018 . This will be a massive delay and create a huge back log for all citizenship applicants who apply after april 20. 

 

Good luck to us all

I think those who already meet the new criteria will be fine, and shouldn't experience any delays. 

[unzippy]

According to this article:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2017/apr/21/its-hard-to-integrate-into-australian-society-even-as-an-english-speaking-white-woman

Turnbull and Dutton are appealing to nativist, xenophobic and racist attitudes to win votes.

[wombatinabox]

15 hours ago, KidA said:

I think those who already meet the new criteria will be fine, and shouldn't experience any delays. 

The new values tests apply for those on and after April 20, so even if you qualify under new rules the new tests not ready and applicants will have to wait till 2018 for the new values tests and English exam to be ready.  

Edited April 22, 2017 by wombatinabox

[elderberry]

Surely for the English test they will just use IELTS again?

[VERYSTORMY]

On 21 April 2017 at 6:23 AM, Keep me in oz said:

I wonder if they can decline them if you put an app in now but the legislation isnt in affect yet! a declined application might be a bad tarnish right?

I would not bet on that. Last year there were people known as Cat 5. These were people who had applied for a skilled visa, but whose occupations were low priority, but valid. They had applied and paid and many were on shore living on bridging visas and had been for years - some 5 years or more. With no warning the visa was retrospectively abandoned and applicants were told they could get a refund if they could produce the original paper receipt and unless they could apply for a new visa would have to leave the country. 

[Stevwtosh]

On 21/04/2017 at 11:23 AM, elderberry said:

You're not in the same boat as those that arrived here on anything other than PR.

If you had PR in 2012 and then arrived in 2016, then you can apply for citizenship sometime on 2019.

i.e. A PR for 4 years with 3 years resident in Australia and no more than 12 months overseas

Yea that Thier choice not to be here when they were granted PR visa, and those are the people who are abusing the system, when you know you are not ready to move to Australia why do you applied for it in the first place.

[bwatt99]

Hopefully there are some changes or it does not pass parliament but im sure it will.

But its going to affect most until it is im sure.

I got my citizenship last year was going to leave it until wife was able to apply and do as family but glad i never as i would have had to wait a bit longer.

I came over in pr so really would not add to much waiting as been here since 2013.

I did add my daughter which im glad i did now and son born here so citizen aready,just the wife left.

She came as a partner visa and was due to apply june 1st so not long away, but cause of these new rules has to wait an extra yr after july. Ok i know not that bad or long of wait but at first thought she had 2 yrs to wait but looking back as she applied back in 2012 got granted pr after 2 yrs of temp it was 2014 she has had her pr.

But it crap if you ask me should not have to wait another year it really should not count on people aready on pr or so close to applying.

I have wrote to a local mp and i have emailed a few places about this not that its going to make much difference but the way they have gone about this is an utter joke.

Dont they have brains whoever makes these rules, they really need to take a look at them again and make some changes.

Some people are worse off than what my wife is if it had stayed old rules maybe wife would have been citizen by end of year now its cant even apply till another yr more.

 

[rammygirl]

Even if she was eligible and applied in early June with the delays and backlogs caused waiting for the new tests it could easily be next year before it is all sorted anyway!

[wombatinabox]

52 minutes ago, bwatt99 said:

Hopefully there are some changes or it does not pass parliament but im sure it will.

But its going to affect most until it is im sure.

I got my citizenship last year was going to leave it until wife was able to apply and do as family but glad i never as i would have had to wait a bit longer.

I came over in pr so really would not add to much waiting as been here since 2013.

I did add my daughter which im glad i did now and son born here so citizen aready,just the wife left.

She came as a partner visa and was due to apply june 1st so not long away, but cause of these new rules has to wait an extra yr after july. Ok i know not that bad or long of wait but at first thought she had 2 yrs to wait but looking back as she applied back in 2012 got granted pr after 2 yrs of temp it was 2014 she has had her pr.

But it crap if you ask me should not have to wait another year it really should not count on people aready on pr or so close to applying.

I have wrote to a local mp and i have emailed a few places about this not that its going to make much difference but the way they have gone about this is an utter joke.

Dont they have brains whoever makes these rules, they really need to take a look at them again and make some changes.

Some people are worse off than what my wife is if it had stayed old rules maybe wife would have been citizen by end of year now its cant even apply till another yr more.

 

I have also emailed my local mp (Labor) who replied and said firmly he will vote NO. However, unfortunately a lot of Labor MPs representing more conservative seats are voting yes which guarantees this bill will pass, there is no doubt about it except maybe more modifications. 

Here in Australia unfortunately the political left who normally protect immigrant rights have become very disorganised and weak, Labor party has been ineffective for last few years, they pretty much follow liberal party agenda for the most part. So I don't see much opposition. 

Unlike the USA where the political left is very organised and we'll funded to protect immigrants, I mean look at what they did to stop Trump travel ban.

These new rules are purely political in nature no one can ever argue otherwise.

I wish everyone good luck, hopefully in the end we all get a "fair go" at citizenship. 

Edited April 23, 2017 by wombatinabox