Time to sit citizenship test and can postpone?

[burmtra]

Hi, we are just wondering when you submit the citizenship application how long do you have to wait to sit the test currently. Also if you are overseas are you allowed to sit the test later when you return (ie a good few months later? as we are looking to go travelling for a while (upto a year) whilst the citizenship application is pending. 

 

Many Thanks

[Jojoe]

I'm not sure but as far as I am aware you need to be residing in Australia to put in your application for citizenship , The time frames for test dates  are uncertain  and so are the ceremony dates . A guide line at the moment has been suggested to be  at least a year plus from application to gaining ceremony depending on which state you live in . The important factor for those who can gain citizenship and those wanting to travel outside Australia who haven't gained citizenship or have one pending   is to ensure they have the correct visa to travel . The PR visa doesn't expire but the right to travel outside Aistralia does . My advice would be to ensure you have a residents return visa in place if you are wanting to travel outside Australia or are outside Auatralia  if the right to travel on your PR visa is due to expire . I would strongly  advise you to ensure you have the correct visa to travel and then when you are ready  to commit to go for your citizenship then put  in your application . The reason being you could put in your application and get a test date within a few months and then have to wait many months for your ceremony date or vice versa and you have to be present for both . Also please  make sure you ensure you look very  deeply into the travel periods regarding your citizenship application as  travel above a certain period before putting in an application may mean your not eligible at that time . We gained citizenship last year but it was straight forward for us as we hadn't travelled outside Aistralia since we gained our PR 

[Beffers]

8 hours ago, Jojoe said:

I'm not sure but as far as I am aware you need to be residing in Australia to put in your application for citizenship , The time frames for test dates  are uncertain  and so are the ceremony dates . A guide line at the moment has been suggested to be  at least a year plus from application to gaining ceremony depending on which state you live in . The important factor for those who can gain citizenship and those wanting to travel outside Australia who haven't gained citizenship or have one pending   is to ensure they have the correct visa to travel . The PR visa doesn't expire but the right to travel outside Aistralia does . My advice would be to ensure you have a residents return visa in place if you are wanting to travel outside Australia or are outside Auatralia  if the right to travel on your PR visa is due to expire . I would strongly  advise you to ensure you have the correct visa to travel and then when you are ready  to commit to go for your citizenship then put  in your application . The reason being you could put in your application and get a test date within a few months and then have to wait many months for your ceremony date or vice versa and you have to be present for both . Also please  make sure you ensure you look very  deeply into the travel periods regarding your citizenship application as  travel above a certain period before putting in an application may mean your not eligible at that time . We gained citizenship last year but it was straight forward for us as we hadn't travelled outside Aistralia since we gained our PR 

Such an important point regarding travel within the period immediately before application is submitted and assessed. Double check this very carefully, with an agents help if needs be as you wouldn't want to submit, then disappear travelling, to find that you're ineligible or something and come back after 6-12 months to find no citizenship and eligibility down the loo due to this particular trip. 

Edited September 2, 2018 by Beffers