Emergency Citizenship ceremony request

coldpaw

Quick question on citizenship and request for an emergency ceremony - if you know the date of your leaving the country will fall during your wait for a ceremony could that be problem?

For example If I apply on May 1st 2015 jump the hoops but then apply for a emergency ceremony straight away because my sister is getting married in mid July can they refuse me?

Is anyone in the middle of the citienzhip process at the moment?

massdebater

coldpaw wrote: »

Quick question on citizenship and request for an emergency ceremony - if you know the date of your leaving the country will fall during your wait for a ceremony could that be problem?

For example If I apply on May 1st 2015 jump the hoops but then apply for a emergency ceremony straight away because my sister is getting married in mid July can they refuse me?

Is anyone in the middle of the citienzhip process at the moment?

You'd be cutting it very fine. The problem will be getting your passport in time. If you're an Aussie citizen, you must leave and re enter the country on your Australian passport. Once you've done your ceremony, you are officially an Aussie citizen so you'll need to have your Australian passport in your hand before you left in July. Better off just doing the test and ceremony when you return from your trip overseas, no need for all that stress.

Mellor

Why can't you just apply, and leave and return in the interim on your irish passport?
That's what I'll be doing.


What sort of wait list is there for the ceremonies? Say the hyde park one in march.

Peregrinus

Will they refuse you an emergency citizenship ceremony? Depends on how co-operative they are at your local authority, but in general they are very co-operative; I was offered one at a day's notice by the Town of East Fremantle. But as massdebater points out, the issue is not getting your citizenship; it's getting your passport.

swazzie

Depends on where you live. I tried to get an emergency ceremony in Brisbane and I couldn't get one.
Also you have to wait for passport even if you get the ceremony so you'd be cutting it fine.
From the day you become a citizen you have to leave and reenter country on Aussie passport.

coldpaw

Thanks for all your replies.

The issue is that I was hoping to get my passport and then go travelling out of Oz for a year at least once I go home for the wedding... Looking at the rules if I travel for that length of time I won't be able to apply for another 4 years as I'll be too long outside the country.

Aghhhhh thought this was the easiest hoop to jump through...

massdebater

coldpaw wrote: »

Looking at the rules if I travel for that length of time I won't be able to apply for another 4 years as I'll be too long outside the country

I don't think that's right. To apply for citizenship, you need to

1. be min 4 years in Australia
2. have at least 12 months as a permanent resident
3. you can't have left Australia for more than 90 days of the 12 months prior to applying for citizenship

If you go travelling for a year and come back to Australia on your PR visa, you will already meet points 1 and 2. That means you can apply for citizenship the following year once you meet the requirements for point 3 again.

I'm in a similar boat - applying for citizenship next year and going overseas for a few months between now and then. I just need to manage my overseas time so that I don't go above the 90 day requirement.