Erica Smith Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 A win!!!!!! Erical, BREAKING NEWS: a win for multicultural Australia I wanted you to know straight away, just moments ago, the Senate here in the Australian Parliamentthrew out the Government’s changes to Australia citizenship laws. That means they have said no to the university level English test. It means they have said no to the three year additional wait that was going to cause some people to wait more than ten years before they got to become Australian citizens. Because of the university English test, some people were going to live here their entire working lives and were never going to be able to become Australian citizens. So right now, we’ve just had the win that you’ve been campaigning for. I want to give you full credit, because let’s not pretend this was done by members of Parliament. This was done by an extraordinary community activism that you were part of and you made sure that you never wasted a conversation. This will make a real difference to the lives of people who will become good Australian citizens. This will make a massive difference in people’s lives. And will guarantee that a whole lot of people who were never going to hear the words ‘Welcome home’ will now be able to make a pledge of commitment to Australia. Now the Government may well have another go at this. The Government may well come back and try again. So, if you are eligible for Australian citizenship under current law my advice is don't waste time. Get your application in under current law. Get your application in before the government tries to do this again. I was Minister for Citizenship for a time and when I was, I got to write the message that was read out of every citizenship ceremony and the message that I had finished with the words ‘Welcome home.’ We want to be able to say ‘welcome home’ to you. Those of you who are ready to become good Australian citizens, those of you who are ready to make your pledge of commitment to Australia. Get your applications in. Make the application go through the existing test. Make your pledge of commitment to this country and the Labor Party will be very, very proud to say back to you ‘welcome home’. No doubt the government will come back. There will be another attempt at this. But right now enjoy the victory, enjoy the moment and know your activism made this happen. Congratulations. Tony. Authorised by T. Burke, Level 2 Roselands Shopping Centre, Roselands Drive, Roselands, NSW 2196 Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Tony Burke, please click here. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie937 Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Wahooooo! Good news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian360 Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 8 minutes ago, Erica Smith said: A win!!!!!! Erical, BREAKING NEWS: a win for multicultural Australia I wanted you to know straight away, just moments ago, the Senate here in the Australian Parliamentthrew out the Government’s changes to Australia citizenship laws. That means they have said no to the university level English test. It means they have said no to the three year additional wait that was going to cause some people to wait more than ten years before they got to become Australian citizens. Because of the university English test, some people were going to live here their entire working lives and were never going to be able to become Australian citizens. So right now, we’ve just had the win that you’ve been campaigning for. I want to give you full credit, because let’s not pretend this was done by members of Parliament. This was done by an extraordinary community activism that you were part of and you made sure that you never wasted a conversation. This will make a real difference to the lives of people who will become good Australian citizens. This will make a massive difference in people’s lives. And will guarantee that a whole lot of people who were never going to hear the words ‘Welcome home’ will now be able to make a pledge of commitment to Australia. Now the Government may well have another go at this. The Government may well come back and try again. So, if you are eligible for Australian citizenship under current law my advice is don't waste time. Get your application in under current law. Get your application in before the government tries to do this again. I was Minister for Citizenship for a time and when I was, I got to write the message that was read out of every citizenship ceremony and the message that I had finished with the words ‘Welcome home.’ We want to be able to say ‘welcome home’ to you. Those of you who are ready to become good Australian citizens, those of you who are ready to make your pledge of commitment to Australia. Get your applications in. Make the application go through the existing test. Make your pledge of commitment to this country and the Labor Party will be very, very proud to say back to you ‘welcome home’. No doubt the government will come back. There will be another attempt at this. But right now enjoy the victory, enjoy the moment and know your activism made this happen. Congratulations. Tony. Authorised by T. Burke, Level 2 Roselands Shopping Centre, Roselands Drive, Roselands, NSW 2196 Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Tony Burke, please click here. Happy days!!!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zet01 Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 8 minutes ago, Erica Smith said: A win!!!!!! Erical, BREAKING NEWS: a win for multicultural Australia I wanted you to know straight away, just moments ago, the Senate here in the Australian Parliamentthrew out the Government’s changes to Australia citizenship laws. That means they have said no to the university level English test. It means they have said no to the three year additional wait that was going to cause some people to wait more than ten years before they got to become Australian citizens. Because of the university English test, some people were going to live here their entire working lives and were never going to be able to become Australian citizens. So right now, we’ve just had the win that you’ve been campaigning for. I want to give you full credit, because let’s not pretend this was done by members of Parliament. This was done by an extraordinary community activism that you were part of and you made sure that you never wasted a conversation. This will make a real difference to the lives of people who will become good Australian citizens. This will make a massive difference in people’s lives. And will guarantee that a whole lot of people who were never going to hear the words ‘Welcome home’ will now be able to make a pledge of commitment to Australia. Now the Government may well have another go at this. The Government may well come back and try again. So, if you are eligible for Australian citizenship under current law my advice is don't waste time. Get your application in under current law. Get your application in before the government tries to do this again. I was Minister for Citizenship for a time and when I was, I got to write the message that was read out of every citizenship ceremony and the message that I had finished with the words ‘Welcome home.’ We want to be able to say ‘welcome home’ to you. Those of you who are ready to become good Australian citizens, those of you who are ready to make your pledge of commitment to Australia. Get your applications in. Make the application go through the existing test. Make your pledge of commitment to this country and the Labor Party will be very, very proud to say back to you ‘welcome home’. No doubt the government will come back. There will be another attempt at this. But right now enjoy the victory, enjoy the moment and know your activism made this happen. Congratulations. Tony. Authorised by T. Burke, Level 2 Roselands Shopping Centre, Roselands Drive, Roselands, NSW 2196 Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Tony Burke, please click here. Oh my gosh! That's a very good news! Our long wait is over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain_hoomi Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Big win 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatinabox Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Great news and amazing job everyone, I knew we could overcome this in the end. While we suffered immensely with the odds against us, its a great outcome and a relief for all immigrants affected. No one will be able to compensate us for the lost time and stress but the next step will be insuring our apps are unfrozen and processed in a timely manner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jodipodi Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 What does this mean for PR holders? What are the citizenship requirements in terms of how long do you have to reside in Australia now to apply for citizenship please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 1 minute ago, jodipodi said: What does this mean for PR holders? What are the citizenship requirements in terms of how long do you have to reside in Australia now to apply for citizenship please? For now old rules will be applied, one year PR before apply for citizenship, if you are eligible, apply now. Government may come up with new bill later point, but for now bill is lost, people should be able to apply for citizenship as per old rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain_hoomi Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 any idea when they will start processing on hold applications again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jodipodi Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 1 minute ago, seeker said: For now old rules will be applied, one year PR before apply for citizenship, if you are eligible, apply now. Government may come up with new bill later point, but for now bill is lost, people should be able to apply for citizenship as per old rules. One year!!! Omg. Weve been here since May 1st. I thought old bill was 2 years wonder where i got that from?... Thats amazing hope it stays that way until at least May next year...!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie937 Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Hi all, one of the requirements for applying for citizenship is an identity declaration. I had my photographs signed as a true photograph of myself. i just looked at my application paperwork, it says on Form 1195 (identity declaration) that the photograph is only valid for 6 months. Will I and others who put our applications in just after April 20th have to re submit a new identity declaration as 6 months have nearly passed. many thanks Eddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 if you already applied, you don't need to submit another identity form. Otherwise, you will have to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 (edited) 17 minutes ago, seeker said: For now old rules will be applied, one year PR before apply for citizenship, if you are eligible, apply now. Government may come up with new bill later point, but for now bill is lost, people should be able to apply for citizenship as per old rules. It is not one year PR! This only applies to people who have been here on Temp visas like 457 who have already lived here for a number of years, but have one year as PR. If you come over on PR straight off you still need 4 years residency Edited October 18, 2017 by AJ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie937 Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Just now, Sheila said: if you already applied, you don't need to submit another identity form. Otherwise, you will have to Thanks for the quick reply Sheila. I applied on the 25th April. I hope they start going through the frozen applications soon. Thanks Eddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatinabox Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 1 minute ago, Eddie937 said: Thanks for the quick reply Sheila. I applied on the 25th April. I hope they start going through the frozen applications soon. Thanks Eddie Keep us updated, since you're one of the first after the freeze. Thanks mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 14 minutes ago, jodipodi said: One year!!! Omg. Weve been here since May 1st. I thought old bill was 2 years wonder where i got that from?... Thats amazing hope it stays that way until at least May next year...!! Hi, You should be in Australia for 4 years minimum and last one year should be on PR to be eligible for Citizenship as per the old rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie937 Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 No problem Wombatinabox ?? I’ll be posting updates for all to see. thanks Eddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coker Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 This is still confusing: Schedule 1, item 136, page 48 (lines 5 to 7), omit “applications made under Division 2 of Part 2 of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 on or after 20 April 2017”, substitute “pledges of allegiance made under the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 on or after the commencement of this item” They are saying pledges of allegiance made after the commencement of this item. Does this mean if your citizenship ceremony is after July 2018, you will still fall under the new rules? Very confusing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jodipodi Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Ok im still not sure I understand.We have been here in australia residing on a PR since May this year. When will we be eligible to apply for citizenship?.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 10 minutes ago, jodipodi said: Ok im still not sure I understand.We have been here in australia residing on a PR since May this year. When will we be eligible to apply for citizenship?.... You have to be in Australia for 4 years before apply for Citizenship.. when will you complete 4 years? If you moved to australia this may, you need to wait till May 2021 to be eligible for Citizenship. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coker Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 11 minutes ago, jodipodi said: Ok im still not sure I understand.We have been here in australia residing on a PR since May this year. When will we be eligible to apply for citizenship?.... Per current law you need to be here a total of 4 years with the last 1 year as PR... Things can change depending on whatever legislation will pass. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coker Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/10/18/migrants-no-longer-limbo-citizenship-changes-killed-senate "A spokesperson for Mr Dutton has confirmed to SBS News that migrants who have already put in applications for citizenship, and those who still plan to, will be assessed under current requirements rather than the tougher measures announced by the government earlier this year." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinny_Drift Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 ..."The revised start date for the changes would be from 1 July 2018 if the government can seal a deal to get them through parliament." ..."SBS News understands all applications received until then will be processed under the existing law."... So....changes are inevitable....it's just a matter of time and negotiation but I would bet there will be some sort of English language testing, PR for more than 12 months etc. Importantly I hope the move to grab more power is cut short irrespective of future negotiations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coker Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 19 minutes ago, coker said: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/10/18/migrants-no-longer-limbo-citizenship-changes-killed-senate "A spokesperson for Mr Dutton has confirmed to SBS News that migrants who have already put in applications for citizenship, and those who still plan to, will be assessed under current requirements rather than the tougher measures announced by the government earlier this year." Now the waiting begins. Hope the department allocates extra resources to clear the backlog and also organize extra citizenship ceremonies as they have done in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix123 Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 I wonder if Malcolm realises the effect of this situation. I’m now a citizen got my passport and on the electoral roll. I never thought I’d say this but my first vote in Australia is likely to be Labour. I wonder how many also think the same. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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