Guest la74 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Just wondered if anyone else has applied for citizenship by descent if so how long did the whole process take and can you give me any pointers as i want to do mine now my father was an Australian citizen at my birth Many Thanks x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuddysMum Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hi, I applied last year, it took for ever to fill out all the forms and get all the evidence together etc (I had to get my mother's birth cert from Australia for example), then all the police checks from UK and Ireland. Once I had sent it all in it was very fast! And what a wonderful feeling. I still remember the date! I had no idea that I was eligible for it until last year, and when I applied for it I had no intention of even holidaying in Australia, I just wanted to get it "because I could". Since then we have been over for a holiday and decided that we want to live there. OH has been granted PR and now we wait for the circumstances to be right for us to move over. PM me for any other help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest la74 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 thats fab my OH will do the same we are getting married this year and have a daughter so i know we have to prove our relationship. With regards to the police checks i read that you didn't need to send them straight off you should wait till they are requested as they may not request them, also was the form you filled in the 118? we are looking to move out there in a couple of years once we have a bit more money behind us xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuddysMum Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 We sent the police checks off at the same time as everything else. I am pretty sure the site tells you what to include with the application. Mmm, not good at remembering form numbers. I will try to find a link to the site I used for all the ninfo we needed. Back soon..... Yes it was 118. Here's the link.. http://www.citizenship.gov.au/applying/categories/citz-by-descent.htm ...you have probably already seen that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becontree Boy Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 My wife's dad was Australian. She applied for Citizenship by Descent the day after the new laws came in about five years ago. It was a very simple process: dad's birth certificate, death certificate, her birth certificate and her police check + the application form and a cheque for about £50. It took a couple of months to come through. It was very thrilling, especially as she was in her 50's when she applied! And now here were are in Australia with no regrets at all! Three of her siblings have successfully applied for Aussie Citizenship as well. One moved to Australia too, the other two just have a very nice certificate to hang on the wall in their UK homes - but they know they have the freedom to choose to come here if ever they want too. Just one important pointer to a successful application: my wife had to prove that her dad had not acquired British citizenship. She did this by getting a letter from the Home Office. In the days when her dad was living in the UK (1940's to his death in the early 1980's), acquiring British citizenship would have anulled his Australian Citizenship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuddysMum Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 My wife's dad was Australian. She applied for Citizenship by Descent the day after the new laws came in about five years ago. It was a very simple process: dad's birth certificate, death certificate, her birth certificate and her police check + the application form and a cheque for about £50. It took a couple of months to come through. It was very thrilling, especially as she was in her 50's when she applied! And now here were are in Australia with no regrets at all! Three of her siblings have successfully applied for Aussie Citizenship as well. One moved to Australia too, the other two just have a very nice certificate to hang on the wall in their UK homes - but they know they have the freedom to choose to come here if ever they want too. Just one important pointer to a successful application: my wife had to prove that her dad had not acquired British citizenship. She did this by getting a letter from the Home Office. In the days when her dad was living in the UK (1940's to his death in the early 1980's), acquiring British citizenship would have anulled his Australian Citizenship. I hadn't realised that the laws had changed recently. What good fortune that I hadn't written it all off years ago! I, too, applied in my 50s. My mother came over here in the 1050's, had me then died. Her family remained in Australia. But in those days I think all Australians had British passports (my mother certainly did!). I am not sure when Australian citizenship was established, I would guess after 1958 anyway. Another bit of good fortune (in this respect anyway) for me. All that hadn't even occurred to me. Wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becontree Boy Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Buddy's mum was right not to apply earlier. In 1985 I trecked to the Australian High Commission in The Strand with my wife to see if she could claim her Australian Citizenship as a birthright. "Did your father register you as a citizen before you were eighteen?", the officer asked. "No, I didn't know he had to", my wife replied. "Then you are not an Australian citizen", said the officer. And that was the extent of the conversation. It was only in this decade that the law changed. Politicians claimed that the nation's previous position was "a breach of human rights". They changed it so people under a certain age could get in. My wife just crept below the bar. Then a couple of years ago the age limit was scrapped and her older brothers and sister were able to get their citizenship too. We've often wondered how many children born abroad of Australians actually know about this change of rules. We've never seen it advertised. And just how many have taken advantage of the change in legislation to claim their citizenship? I bet there aren't that many. Maybe I should get my MP to ask a parliamentary question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuddysMum Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Buddy's mum was right not to apply earlier. In 1985 I trecked to the Australian High Commission in The Strand with my wife to see if she could claim her Australian Citizenship as a birthright. "Did your father register as a citizen you before you were eighteen?", the officer asked. "No, I didn't know he had to", my wife replied. "Then you are not an Australian citizen", said the officer. And that was the extent of the conversation. It was only in this decade that the law changed. Politicians claimed that the nation's previous position was "a breach of human rights". They changed it so people under a certain age could get in. My wife just crept below the bar. Then a couple of years ago the age limit was scrapped and her older brothers and sister were able to get their citizenship too. We've often wondered how many children born abroad of Australians actually know about this change of rules. We've never seen it advertised. And just how many have taken advantage of the change in legislation to claim their citizenship? I bet there aren't that many. Maybe I should get my MP to ask a parliamentary question? Wow! That is incredible! I can't believe how these things have worked out so well for me. (Actually, early years with no mother and the divided family were pants, but I hope you know what I mean! ) Phew!:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.