WS

I just wondered if anyone had been to a citizenship ceremony in the last couple of weeks during the election and if the citizenship certificates had been given out at the ceremony??

My local council said we were very unlikely to get them between mid August and mid Sept due to the election but everyone I speak to gives me a different answer!

And if they aren't issued, can we apply for a passport?

Pollyana

Nope, you need the citizenship certificate before you can apply for the passport - and as people have found in the past, if you don't have a passport its possible to get back into Aus with the citizenship certificate.......but if you don't have either, who knows.........! Not very helpful really is it.

Dorothy

They are usually at the ceremony. Ours weren't since we had a private ceremony, but they came by registered post about 3 days later.

WS

Ok thanks. It's just because of the election apparently there's no minister in place to sign the certificates between Aug/Sept.

I just wondered if anyone had actually got one recently or if we have to wait ages after doing the ceremony

Pollyana

According to the Dept Foreign Affairs tonight, very helpful bloke from the Emergency Passport section -........as its a Caretaker Govt it may well be that Immigration aren't issuing certificates. However, he said that if people become citizens they should be given some proof of the fact. If not, then Immigration should have made provision not to cancel the PR visas until that proof can be issued. Unfortunately thats all he could say on the subject but he suggests a personal visit to a DIAC office and insist on talking to someone with the proper info, in person - don't call the DIAC helpline, they won't know the answer! (and thats HIS words not mine!!).
He did try and find the answer for me, but its outside their remit unfortunately. He did say do not to try and travel without getting the certificate, or checking with DIAC that the visa is still valid.

He also said if someone needs to travel and because of the delay they have the certificate but not the passport, that can be processed in 2 days in the State capital city passport offices, have to ring first and make an appointment.

So not a complete answer but I reckon unless someone says they have got their certificate in a very recent (last few days) ceremony it means a trip into DIAC in person. And grateful thanks to Mr DFAT, especially as I rang him from work about something totally different and thought I'd pick his brains while I was at it

JAJ

There is still a caretaker minister and day to day business of government is supposed to proceed. There have been elections before and I don't recall any of this occurring.

WS

Thank you so much Pollyana for that information, if I don't get it I'll be heading down to Perth DIAC office and ask them to sort something out!

JAJ

Once you become a citizen - you're a citizen, whether they give you a citizenship certificate or not. So this is a question of Australian citizens being left without proof of citizenship.

DIAC ought to issue some kind of temporary evidence of citizenship that will be accepted by DFAT if they are not prepared to issue full certificates.

Pollyana

The letters currently being issued for the ceremonies actually state that due to the election certificates may not be issued. Sounds ridiculous I know, but......

The guy at DFAT said that the only other thing DIAC might do is not cancel the visas until the certificates are sent out, but obviously no-one has made DFAT aware of what is being said in the letters.

WS

Ok, so I'm thinking if I don't get my certificate, maybe I can turn up at the Perth Passport Office and apply there?? http://www.dfat.gov.au/perth/index.html

Will they have access to DIAC information which will prove I am a citizen even though I don't have a certificate to show them?

Pollyana

Don't know - might be worth a try!

JAJ

Depends on how quickly the DIAC database is updated, even if they do have access.

WS

Ha ha! This would be funny if I wasn't going away on 20th Sept!

JAJ

The visas automatically cease whether DIAC like it or not ... the Migration Act does not go into "caretaker mode". But whether DIAC update their systems to reflect it is another question.

JAJ

DIAC may be in the wrong because there is nothing in the government caretaker conventions that suggests that routine business should be suspended. And the Minister is still the Minister until replaced ...

http://www.dpmc.gov.au/guidelines/do...onventions.pdf