glasgow joiner Posted May 29, 2019 Share Posted May 29, 2019 Hi there ,my self and my my wife have been here since October 2015 on the permanent residence visa and have only spent a couple of weeks outside of Australia since then so should be able to apply for citizenship at the end of October just wondering if we could all go back to the U.K. for a few months as a family member unwell after we ve applied for citizenship?been told can t but maybe able to after you do the test ,any idea when the test is after applying? thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurkio Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 A friend of mine applied for citizenship in April 2018 and only did their test this week. So that was over a year from initial application to test. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow joiner Posted May 30, 2019 Author Share Posted May 30, 2019 Thanks,so I take it you ve got to stay in Australia till the test Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouDYorkie Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 Thanks,so I take it you ve got to stay in Australia till the test No, that’s not how I understand it.For example, I had 10 months between submission and test during which time I travelled out of the country a couple of times.I was told I should be onshore for the decision about my citizenship. I need to attend the ceremony and there may be some difficulty with travelling overseas between the ceremony and receiving a passport in the post, but otherwise I am not aware of any restrictions.Unless I left Australia for a long period of time calling into question my seriousness about becoming a citizen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 2 hours ago, glasgow joiner said: Thanks,so I take it you ve got to stay in Australia till the test No, you can go on holidays but make sure you've got your RRV in place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 23 minutes ago, Marisawright said: No, you can go on holidays but make sure you've got your RRV in place. And make sure your time away doesn't take you over the rolling "absence" allowances. I believe this is up to 12 months in the immediate four year period and not more than 3 of those months in the year before passing the test 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouDYorkie Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 And make sure your time away doesn't take you over the rolling "absence" allowances. I believe this is up to 12 months in the immediate four year period and not more than 3 of those months in the year before passing the testThought this rule applied before you apply, not before your test? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 I thought it was both, but I'm frequently confused.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouDYorkie Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 I thought it was both, but I'm frequently confused....After I did my test they asked if I had any planned travel in the next 24 months!! But they did also say that travel is fine, I may just have to explain it (work trip, holiday etc) as some parts of the process can’t be finalised whilst I’m offshore. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 There are two issues. One that the test should be taken in Australia and you must be onshore for approval following this (ours was immediate but some have taken over a year!) once approved you must attend a ceremony within 12 months. The other issue is you intention to reside in Australia. Some people who have gone overseas for an extended period after applying have reported that they have had a request to provide information about the absence and evidence that they intend to return and live in Australia. Also so as mentioned above you will need an RRV to be in place for when the 5 year travel portion of your visa is up. Citizenship applications have been taking years as a backlog built up and processing has been erratic, there was a report done that was pretty damning to be honest. Recently things seem to be improving but who knows. It might be possible to request to sit the test overseas if you have compelling circumstances. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 It might not take that long. I applied when they changed the rules and stopped processing and had a massive backlog and I got a invite for the test after a month, I had to cancel it cos I was working away got one 1 month later then 1 month more I Had my pot plant. All in it was 4 too 5 months with a cancellation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 (edited) Who knows. Look at the citizenship timeline thread on here. It’s all over the place although people applying in 2019 seem to be moving quicker. I applied Dec 2017 and got my passport in August 2018. People who applied after me are still waiting......... Son applied the day they stopped processing in April 2017 and did his ceremony on Australia Day 2018. Again he did well compared to many. We are in SA and times do seem a bit quicker for some reason. Edited June 1, 2019 by rammygirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow joiner Posted June 3, 2019 Author Share Posted June 3, 2019 Is it just me who does the test ?as I m the main applicant?could the rest of the family go back to the U.K.after the test,and I stay till the citizenship? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouDYorkie Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Is it just me who does the test ?as I m the main applicant?could the rest of the family go back to the U.K.after the test,and I stay till the citizenship?There are exemptions for under 18’s and over 60’s but pretty much everyone else has to ie. if you have a partner and they want citizenship they must also apply. I don’t know if any other rules might apply for your family? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Everyone makes their own application independently, children can be included on parents applications up to the age of 16 I think (could be 18). Not like visa applications where you are all on the same application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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