JustUs Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 My spouse and I applied on 19 Apr 2019 and 10 May 2019 respectively for citizenship by conferral. The children were included on my application. We've not had any news at all other than the acknowledgement. We've just moved interstate and I called the immi helpline to find out what happens after we lodged the change of address and they said that the processing gets transferred to the new state team. Not sure if this will speed things up or delay it further! We're 8 and 9 months into our application with no request for further info or a test date. It appears that processing times have improved tremendously, especially for 2019 applicants. Should I wait patiently, lodge a FOI or call my MP? Any advice? I don't want to wait around hoping only to find out that our applications have slipped through the cracks or lost(we applied online). Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybervoodoo Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 (edited) Date applied: 11 March 2018 City/Council area: Rockingham, Western Australia Online / Paper: Online Date received the acknowledgement email: 11 March 2018 Date of the Citizenship Test: 11 March 2019 Date of ceremony: 26 January 2020 Type of ceremony (Urgent/Normal): I requested urgent but I ended up having a normal ceremony, 6 months after my application was approved (I also didn't ask for Australia day but just got given that one) After 22 months, I've finally had my ceremony and am now an Australian citizen. Glad to finally have it, but I still find it frustrating how long the process took, if there was an effective way to make a formal complaint that would actually be listened to and not just filed away somewhere I'd do it (a complaint to the dept of home affairs, not my council, they have been nothing but lovely and accomodating). Hope everyone else's experiences are more pleasant than mine. Edited January 26, 2020 by cybervoodoo 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockshanks Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Hi is there anyone from Hume council Here ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiegie Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 10 hours ago, cybervoodoo said: Date applied: 11 March 2018 City/Council area: Rockingham, Western Australia Online / Paper: Online Date received the acknowledgement email: 11 March 2018 Date of the Citizenship Test: 11 March 2019 Date of ceremony: 26 January 2020 Type of ceremony (Urgent/Normal): I requested urgent but I ended up having a normal ceremony, 6 months after my application was approved (I also didn't ask for Australia day but just got given that one) After 22 months, I've finally had my ceremony and am now an Australian citizen. Glad to finally have it, but I still find it frustrating how long the process took, if there was an effective way to make a formal complaint that would actually be listened to and not just filed away somewhere I'd do it (a complaint to the dept of home affairs, not my council, they have been nothing but lovely and accomodating). Hope everyone else's experiences are more pleasant than mine. Congratulations on finally getting to the end of your citizenship journey! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie129 Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 On 21/01/2020 at 14:17, Georgiegie said: Hey mate, just wondering if you got your approval yet? I had my interview and test earlier this morning, and the officer who was interviewing me said that because I only applied in December and I’m very fresh in the system, it might take another few months until all background checks are complete. Cheers Hey mate, Sorry for late reply. I am literally just back from an overseas business trip and haven’t been active on here whilst I was away. No haven’t received my approval yet, hopefully I should receive it soon. I’ll keep you posted. I think for my case the only thing that could delay is only an AFP police clearance, as they asked for my British police clearance 2-3 weeks after I lodged my application (and before doing test). I took it to the interview and asked if they required anymore documents from my side, they said no they had everything that they need. So really I suspect I will hear soon. My wife does her test this Tuesday. Happy Australia Day to everyone Cheers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustUs Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 (edited) 18 hours ago, cybervoodoo said: Date applied: 11 March 2018 City/Council area: Rockingham, Western Australia Online / Paper: Online Date received the acknowledgement email: 11 March 2018 Date of the Citizenship Test: 11 March 2019 Date of ceremony: 26 January 2020 Type of ceremony (Urgent/Normal): I requested urgent but I ended up having a normal ceremony, 6 months after my application was approved (I also didn't ask for Australia day but just got given that one) After 22 months, I've finally had my ceremony and am now an Australian citizen. Glad to finally have it, but I still find it frustrating how long the process took, if there was an effective way to make a formal complaint that would actually be listened to and not just filed away somewhere I'd do it (a complaint to the dept of home affairs, not my council, they have been nothing but lovely and accomodating). Hope everyone else's experiences are more pleasant than mine. Congrats cybervoodoo! It’s seriously annoying and frustrating when it takes so long for no good reason at all. At least you can put all that behind you now and move on... Edited January 26, 2020 by JustUs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal2 Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 Im wondering what the timeline is like for the Gold Coast QLD for someone who doesn't need to take the test (over 60 and 16 years) thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indianinoz Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 During the citizenship process, what are the stages? I believe it is: a) Application with form and documents b) Waiting for Test Invite c) Test and interview d) Approval e) Ceremony However, I have now heard that there are other processes like Health assessment, Character assessment, Biometrics assessment etc. Do these happen in the background like the AFP police check or do I need to do something? Is there a way to find out if these have been completed through our immi account? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie129 Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 39 minutes ago, Indianinoz said: During the citizenship process, what are the stages? I believe it is: a) Application with form and documents b) Waiting for Test Invite c) Test and interview d) Approval e) Ceremony However, I have now heard that there are other processes like Health assessment, Character assessment, Biometrics assessment etc. Do these happen in the background like the AFP police check or do I need to do something? Is there a way to find out if these have been completed through our immi account? The above process you have mentioned is correct. There are no health assessments for citizenship process, as you are a permanent resident. They do the AFP check in the background. Do the above process and wait. If they require any further info of you then they will request it. Process is very straightforward. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indianinoz Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 3 minutes ago, stevie129 said: There are no health assessments for citizenship process, as you are a permanent resident. Thanks for the clarity. I assume it is the same for Character Assessment/Biometrics Assessment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie129 Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 No character requirements are very much part of the process - these are if not one of the most important requirements. They do the AFP clearance themselves. If they require police clearance from another country (like I did) they will request and you will have to do that paperwork and organise it yourself. Biometrics they do internally if required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
187 june16 Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 On 26/01/2020 at 02:06, jay9320 said: there are two large ceremonies happening on 14th February on the Gold Coast. You should receive an invite soon. Yes i have called the gold coast city my name is there on the list for 14 feb one thanks 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bozza Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Hi guys, Can anyone tell me if the processing times differ between the offices you apply to for Citizenship? I am currently living in Sydney but may have to move to Perth for work so debating which office to put down and if the processing time may affect which i do. Thanks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 4 minutes ago, bozza said: Hi guys, Can anyone tell me if the processing times differ between the offices you apply to for Citizenship? I am currently living in Sydney but may have to move to Perth for work so debating which office to put down and if the processing time may affect which i do. Thanks Hi @bozza welcome to the forum. It is a while since we went through the process but it did back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruslan Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 On 26/01/2020 at 11:42, cybervoodoo said: Date applied: 11 March 2018 City/Council area: Rockingham, Western Australia Online / Paper: Online Date received the acknowledgement email: 11 March 2018 Date of the Citizenship Test: 11 March 2019 Date of ceremony: 26 January 2020 Type of ceremony (Urgent/Normal): I requested urgent but I ended up having a normal ceremony, 6 months after my application was approved (I also didn't ask for Australia day but just got given that one) After 22 months, I've finally had my ceremony and am now an Australian citizen. Glad to finally have it, but I still find it frustrating how long the process took, if there was an effective way to make a formal complaint that would actually be listened to and not just filed away somewhere I'd do it (a complaint to the dept of home affairs, not my council, they have been nothing but lovely and accomodating). Hope everyone else's experiences are more pleasant than mine. Congrats mate! There are some ridiculous delays in WA with arrangement of ceremony. Now wait came for an end for you. Hopefully they will improve timelines in 2020 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausa0000 Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, bozza said: Hi guys, Can anyone tell me if the processing times differ between the offices you apply to for Citizenship? I am currently living in Sydney but may have to move to Perth for work so debating which office to put down and if the processing time may affect which i do. Thanks It's hard to say. Each state and territory office definitely have their own special way of processing applications and at times some seem to be quite a bit faster than others. Less populated areas may have less applicants to process but then have less staff doing the processing. Some states send out test invites early and this allows you to possibly reschedule your test to an earlier date when taking a test at a Home Affairs office and not a DHS office. This can speed up your timeline quite a bit. You also have to consider the ceremony wait times when selecting where to apply from. If you are from a council with a large number of citizenship applicants, you could be waiting 5-6 months for your ceremony. If you happen to be in a council with very few applicants, you could end up having your ceremony in less than a month. My personal opinion would be that Perth would offer a slightly quicker timeline than Sydney. Edited January 28, 2020 by Ausa0000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruslan Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) 29 minutes ago, Ausa0000 said: It's hard to say. Each state and territory office definitely have their own special way of processing applications and at times some seem to be quite a bit faster than others. Less populated areas may have less applicants to process but then have less staff doing the processing. Some states send out test invites early and this allows you to possibly reschedule your test to an earlier date when taking a test at a Home Affairs office and not a DHS office. This can speed up your timeline quite a bit. You also have to consider the ceremony wait times when selecting where to apply from. If you are from a council with a large number of citizenship applicants, you could be waiting 5-6 months for your ceremony. If you happen to be in a council with very few applicants, you could end up having your ceremony in less than a month. My personal opinion would be that Perth would offer a slightly quicker timeline than Sydney. I applied in Perth and been waiting almost 4 months since approval. I contacted my local council in December and last update they received from DIBP was for people who received approval before August. So 5-6 months timeline won't work here. It will be a lot longer then that Edited January 28, 2020 by Ruslan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausa0000 Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 24 minutes ago, Ruslan said: I applied in Perth and been waiting almost 4 months since approval. I contacted my local council in December and last update they received from DIBP was for people who received approval before August. So 5-6 months timeline won't work here. It will be a lot longer then that Hopefully your ceremony will be soon. I know several applicants around Perth that have attended their ceremony roughly 4 months after approval. For instance, I believe that Kwinana is now working through September approvals, which would make that a 5 month wait. To be honest, I think applicants applying from anywhere should expect a long process that could well take up to the department's posted online times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Netbg Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 On 26/01/2020 at 13:42, cybervoodoo said: Date applied: 11 March 2018 City/Council area: Rockingham, Western Australia Online / Paper: Online Date received the acknowledgement email: 11 March 2018 Date of the Citizenship Test: 11 March 2019 Date of ceremony: 26 January 2020 Type of ceremony (Urgent/Normal): I requested urgent but I ended up having a normal ceremony, 6 months after my application was approved (I also didn't ask for Australia day but just got given that one) After 22 months, I've finally had my ceremony and am now an Australian citizen. Glad to finally have it, but I still find it frustrating how long the process took, if there was an effective way to make a formal complaint that would actually be listened to and not just filed away somewhere I'd do it (a complaint to the dept of home affairs, not my council, they have been nothing but lovely and accomodating). Hope everyone else's experiences are more pleasant than mine. Congratulations. I’m sorry you had to wait so long but it is somewhat comforting to hear that I wasn’t the only one. I applied 21 April 2018, I’ve now finally got approval but no ceremony date yet. It’s been frustrating to see people both apply and be approved while I’ve heard nothing. It seems like a strange way they do it.. I don’t know why it’s not just done in order. I feel like early 2018 was the worst time to apply! Anyway, we’ve got it now so it doesn’t matter congrats! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybervoodoo Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 1 hour ago, Netbg said: Congratulations. I’m sorry you had to wait so long but it is somewhat comforting to hear that I wasn’t the only one. I applied 21 April 2018, I’ve now finally got approval but no ceremony date yet. It’s been frustrating to see people both apply and be approved while I’ve heard nothing. It seems like a strange way they do it.. I don’t know why it’s not just done in order. I feel like early 2018 was the worst time to apply! Anyway, we’ve got it now so it doesn’t matter congrats! Thank you! Hopefully yours comes through very soon! I know of so many people who applied after me and had their test and ceremony before I'd been approved, really unfair to not do it in order. 2018 was definitely not the best year to apply unfortunately 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millski88 Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 On 22/12/2019 at 01:46, markb28 said: Final from me: Moreland Council VIC Applied online: 18/4/2018 Test: 1/5/2019 Approved: 4/9/2019 Ceremony (Moreland Town Hall): 17/12/2019 Passport application: 18/12/2019 Passport received: 20/12/2019 Didn’t see this at the time but congrats! I’m on 3 months wait after approval, hoping within the next month or so I get my ceremony date (also Moreland). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milano Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 I picked up my passport today morning from the passport office in Melbourne. Here is my final timeline: Submitted citizenship application (online): 14-June-2019 Received Test Invitation: 14-November-2019 Initial Test Date: 16-March-2020 Rescheduled Test Date: 15-November-2019 Approval (online): 25-November-2019 Citizenship Ceremony Invitation (email): 09-December-2019 Citizenship Ceremony Date: 26-January-2020 Submitted Passport Application (paper): 28-January-2020 Picked up Passport from Passport Office: 29-January-2020 Note that lodged my passport application in a post office that provides the Passport RAPID service, and I also paid the priority fee. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markix Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 hi all! can someone please tell me what documents are required for the online citizenship application? thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiegie Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 Hey markix, Below is the screenshot from my ImmiAccount, I hope it gives you a rough idea of what kind of documents you might need to attach to your application. Please disregard the numbers you see, as the system counts every page as a separate document. Here is the list of documents I submitted as a single 189 PR-visa holder with no children: Birth Certificate (if not in English, it MUST be translated by a NAATI-accredited translator); Identity Declaration (https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/1195.pdf); Front and back of my endorsed photograph separately scanned; Passport(s) from country(ies) I am a citizen of; Residence permit(s)/card(s) from country(ies) I am a permanent resident of (e.g., UK ILR card); Drivers Licence; Utility Bill / Bank Statement with your current address. Hope this helps. Good luck with your application! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expatica Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 Anyone in the Inner West Council of Sydney? Hoping to get info on timelines 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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