[JandE]

hello! are u officially a citizen upon approval? or you are only a citizen after ceremony?

Only after the ceremony. Still a PR until then.

 

[JandE]

But my question is that after all that I have a criminal record after the application before i made the application i didn't have a criminal record,will that still affect the chances of me getting approval?
Thanks

That might depend on when they run their checks.

It also depends on how bad your record is.

Even after a citizenship grant, it can be cancelled for some criminal record situations.

 

[JandE]

What is the general criteria to get application picked or is it just random as I saw people applied in March and got test etc done and waiting for ceremony ?

Location is one possibility. Some areas have fewer applications and can arrange tests faster.

Some individual applications might have issues that take longer to process.

My wife's citizenship timeline was:

1. Test was 12 months after applying.
2. Approval was another 3 months after that.
3. Ceremony was another 5 months after that.

Total 1 year and 8 months from application to ceremony.

 

[JandE]

I think location should come to picture only when the application is picked by the agents as the department is same for all and when the tests/ceremonies are conducted then councils etc comes to picture

Citizenship tests are carried out in different Cities and Suburbs, and can have different waiting times, based on numbers of applications in each location, and numbers of available staff in those locations.

Some tests are done in Home affairs main offices, and some are done in Centrelink offices.
Many that are done in a Centrelink office take longer to be approved. Those done in a main office appear to get approved much faster.

Local council waiting lists determine the ceremony wait time.

 

[JandE]

This is so unfair.
If they are taking time then it should be same to all

It could be, if everyone had their test in the same place. But most people would prefer to do it locally to where they live, than in a single testing centre maybe a few hours flight from home.

 

[JandE]

Is there a way to find out which centres have a quick turnaround?

Unlikely, but the ones with the fewest applications is likely.

 

[JandE]

Hi my wife finally got her interview/test email. Can someone suggest where can I find the study material for the test and some mock tests.
I applied on the same date but have not heard anything yet.

The official booklet has all the information, but their single test is not that good.
Some of the private test sites online are out of date and not worth using.

My wife used this one, which has many test examples:

Australian Citizenship Free Practice Tests 2021 - Aussian

These free citizenship practice tests will help you pass Australian citizenship test. It contains updated practice questions similar to the real citizenship test.

www.aussian.com

Note: If you get one wrong in the Australian values section, you fail, even with a 95% total score.

 

[JandE]

If I take the test on the date that they have given and everything is approved and I get the ceremony date in next few months but I want to delay the citizenship ceremony till next year January.

Is it possible to do so as I have plan to go overseas in December.

Check with your local council to see when their next ceremony date is.

I have seen one council saying "Our next Citizenship Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday 26 January 2023 (Australia Day)."

It may end up not being possible to get it earlier any way.

 

[JandE]

I took the interview and test mid-Aug. Self with 2 Kids only, Wife applied later due to date of eligibility. I got 2 requests for information in the 2 weeks since clearing the test, but nothing after that. No idea whats going on, status remains 'Further assement' ! Is this normal with current timelines? It's been 2 months since clearing the test..

You say you received 2 requests for information in the 2 weeks after passing the test. Those requests might have a bearing on what is happening.

I didn't think that they would request anything after the test. We heard nothing after passing the test, until the notification of ceremony.

 

[JandE]

On the website it says that 90% of applications are processed within 17 months.

For people who follow this thread or in the know, is it common to see applications processed in 5 months?

For decisions in August 2022:
From Date of application to decision.

• 25% took under 7 months.
• 25% between 7 months and 11 months.
• 25% between 11 months and 14 months.
• 15% between 14 months and 17 months.
• 10% took over 17 months.

 

[JandE]

Please how long was the wait after passing the test and the notification of ceremony?

8 months between test date and ceremony.

 

[JandE]

May I ask when was your ceremony and where?

Test in Toowoomba, at Centrelink office, with ceremony in Lockyer Valley, Qld .

 

[JandE]

Total 20 minutes for interview and test ?

That sounds about right for some people.
Mine took 10 minutes, but I had been here for decades before I took the test. I just flew through the questions.

Some take longer than 20 minutes.

The interview isn't really an interview. My wife was asked to show her identity, she did. That was the interview over.
Then she did the test, probably about 25 minutes. English as a 3rd language can slow things down.

 

[JandE]

Congrats.. I thought they send the invitation to ceremony 4 weeks before ceremony day

As the 26th January is the main ceremony of the year, for the entire country, they may do notifications for that date differently.

 

[JandE]

Hi guys!

I've just had my citizenship approved on 10 October 2022 with Melbourne CBD as my registered residence/council. With this, I am curious to know if there is anyone here on this forum who could enlighten me the timeframe between citizenship approval to the ceremony date for my council. Otherwise, directing me through to the section of the immigration website where the matter is stated or discussed would be appreciated.

Thank you, and I look forward to receiving a response.

Regards,
Gabe

The immigration website does not supply the details of the local councils ceremony dates.

The answer will depend on how many people are waiting in your local council, how many they do for each ceremony and how often they hold ceremonies.

You may find you will be listed for the January ceremony on Australia Day, when they normally do some very large numbers on that day.

The next ceremony at Melbourne Town Hall is 16 November 2022, and that is the last one listed for 2022.

The next one would be Australia Day, 26 January.

 

[JandE]

do we get the results of the test immediately or do they inform by Email later?

You should get the result of the test immediately, however the approval will come by email, and some get it within hours while others wait weeks or months.

My wife's approval took 3 months from being told she had passed the test at the testing centre, with a further 5 months for the ceremony.
Test passed 24/3/21.
Citizenship approved 22/6/2021.
Ceremony 18/11/2021.

 

[JandE]

Hey mates,I’m eligible for AU citizenship on Feb next year.
Does anyone know how long take from DOL to get certificate I’m living in liverpool council area.

The times can vary each month.

But recent examples show that 10 months is the median average from date of application to decision. But 10% took over 15 months.

Liverpool City Council:
From decision to ceremony.
642 were finalised in Sep 2022.
83% took under 3 months.
10% took between 3 and 6 months
7% took over 6 months.

That works out at an average of 13 months.
But, it could be over 22 months.

 

[JandE]

Sounds good 83% less than three month thanks mate

That is just the time from decision to ceremony.
Add on the time from application to decision, which has averaged 10 months.

 

[JandE]

Second question- my passport is expiring on march 2023, do i need to renew it to identify for test and ceremony

I did my own citizenship some years ago using my expired passport. I even used the fact that I had no passport as a reason to get an Australian passport issued faster, at extra cost.

 

[JandE]

My citizenship was approved on 2nd Nov but I have not received the invitation to attend the ceremony on Australia day. FYI - I was overseas for a month in December. Do you guys think the delay could be due to that ? Is there anything I can do or just wait for the invitation ?

You may have been overseas when they chose the participants for the ceremony, and therefore put back until you notify them you are in the country again.