cocoa

Thanks again everyone.

I can't wait 5 months, I'm impatient!! Actually, I am hoping to visit the UK in July or August (and do the citizenship ceremony when I return to Oz), which is why I was hoping to get my application in beforehand.

My PR visa is dated 25 June 08 and I arrived in Oz on 21 July 08. Does that mean I might be able to put 25 June as my 'Lawful Residence' date?

Tramps_mate I think you still have to show that you have some 'commitment' to Oz otherwise they can revoke your citizenship so presumably you would have to visit Oz occasionally? I could be wrong about this though.

Cheers

Pollyana

Once you are a citizen you can come and go as you please.

louie

If you read the attachment to my last post, you will see the answer is "no", assuming that your visa was granted offshore.

Alex997_99

Lawful residence can be any valid visa and cocoa has entered on a visitor's in 2005...

Alex997_99

...Holiday Visa...mistake..

cocoa

When I telephoned the Australian High Commision in London they said a holiday visa would be OK but he couldn't (or wouldn't) answer my question about exact dates, which is why I posted on here.

Have other people been told that holiday visas are unacceptable. There just seems to be so much contradiction!

cocoa

By the way, has anyone else been having trouble with applying for citizenship online? It keeps giving error messages.

louie

Have you read my posts? The attachment is a PDF of the Australian Citizenship Instructions published on the DIAC website. How can it be clearer than that?

louie

As already explained above, the issue is not the type of visa, it's that there was no visa which was valid four years ago. So the four year period starts when Cocoa arrived on 21 July 2008 (unless the visa was issued onshore, which is unlikely, in which case the start date will be 25 June 2008).
I'm getting a bit exasperated that no-one seems prepared to actually read the guidance.

Alex997_99

...guess the ACIS sheet has been discussed on page 3 of this forum.
People who have been migration agents,have commented on this stating the ACIS guidelines could be illegal and that the issue could be addressed in court or AAT.But this is just being pedantic.Majority would want to wait it out,if its a matter of a few months.

cocoa

Thanks.

Sorry Louie if I've been annoying you, I do appreciate your help very much.

roaringmouse

Not a great idea to plan an overseas trip soon after you apply for citizenship, as you need to wait for notification from DIAC for when your appointment & test will be. It could be within 1 or 2 weeks of applying, but it could also take a month or more depending on how busy that office is.

You may have to learn some patience, and either apply when you return from a trip to the UK (presuming absences still meet criteria) - or delay your trip to the UK until September.

markbhx

I was approved citizenship in 1st week of December and only just received a ceremony appointment for the 8th March. So 3 months seems to be the waiting period. I guess I need a passport now as Im going overseas in April!

Pollyana

You'll need to apply for the passport as soon as the ceremony is over. Get the paperwork ready in advance to save time

ak1008

hey guys,

i would have met all residence requirements, but then my dad passed away overseas so i had to leave the country for 3 months. i am my parents' only child and had to deal with many matters...i missed the 90 day threshold just by 5 or 6 days unfortunately. I lodged my application providing a letter explaining all this and also providing evidence (death certificate of my father, funeral bill, inheritance tax deadline...). is there a chance that they will give me an exemption? if not...i'll have to wait another 7 months before applying which is very unfortunate for my current job (i also provided evidence for this).

thanks