Becoming Aussie

Countdown to Citizenship

A brief timeline of how I became an Australian citizen

2009

August: Applied for a one year secondment in Sydney, Australia.
September: Received the job offer. Started visa application and paperwork for my 457.
November: Visa approved, new Tax ID assigned, and flight booked.
December: Arrived in Sydney. Met the man of my dreams and fell in love.

2010

October: Got married in front of close family and friends.
November: Began paperwork for Partner Sponsor Visa.

2011

January: Submitted application for Partner Sponsor Visa. Received approval for a bridging visa.
February: Resigned from job to pursue writing full-time.
November: Was assigned a case officer. Yay!
December: Received letter requiring outstanding documents (federal police checks both here and in the U.S.)

2012

February: Submitted outstanding documents.  Received letter of approval and assigned a Temporary Partner Visa.
November: Received final paperwork from Dept. of Immigration.  Additional documents are required.  Arranging and completing final documents, getting everything sorted.  Must submit required paperwork before the end of the year to complete application for Permanent Partner Visa approval (equivalent to Permanent Residency).
December: Submitted all final documents to Dept. of Immigration. Awaiting response.

2013

February: Received Notification of grant of a Partner (Residence) (class BS) Partner (subclass 801) visa. YAY!!! 🙂

2014

February: Cleared to apply for citizenship!
May: Submitted my application for citizenship.
June: Waiting to receive notification/confirmation of application and be contacted for either a meeting or a test date!
July: Received a notification of refusal for Australian citizenship due to the length of time I had been a resident. There was a misunderstanding regarding the calculated time I’d been present in Australia and thus, my application date was pushed to another year: July 2015.

2015

July: Re-submitted my application for citizenship again, this time in paper form (not online) — this way, I was able to avoid getting charged a second application fee since I had already paid last year. Within a week, I received a text from the Dept. of Immigration notifying me of a test date!
August: I took my Australian Citizenship Test and passed – 100%! Now awaiting letter notifying me of the date for my citizenship ceremony.
September: Citizenship ceremony complete! Collected my Australian citizenship certificate and shook hands with the Mayor of Sydney. Thankful to God I’ve finally made it — I’m officially Australian.

4 responses to “Countdown to Citizenship”

  1. Lisa D. Avatar
    Lisa D.

    Congratulation! So, what kinds of things re you studying for the test?

    Reply
    1. j.dayco Avatar
      j.dayco

      They have a little information booklet that the test is based on and it contains details about the history of Australia and its people, national symbols, the way the government is set up, iconic Aussies, etc. Pretty interesting stuff! One of the things I think is really interesting is that their coat of arms has the emu and the kangaroo on it to symbolize a nation moving forward, reflecting a common belief that neither animal can move backwards easily. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Denise R. Parker Avatar
    Denise R. Parker

    Hi!

    In regards to your section of 2014 listed below. Does this mean you need to wait to have your PR (subclass 801) for a full 24 months? I am about to undergo this process and from what I have read ( https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/citi/pathways-processes/application-options/migrant-with-permanent-residence/eligibility ) you have to wait 12 months from when you are granted PR and have lived in Australia for a full 4 years on a valid Australian visa. Was it their error or your error in the calculation?

    2014
    February: Cleared to apply for citizenship!
    May: Submitted my application for citizenship.
    June: Waiting to receive notification/confirmation of application and be contacted for either a meeting or a test date!
    July: Received a notification of refusal for Australian citizenship due to the length of time I had been a resident. There was a misunderstanding regarding the calculated time I’d been present in Australia and thus, my application date was pushed to another year: July 2015.

    Reply
    1. jlock Avatar
      jlock

      The laws have changed since the time when I applied, so I can’t really advise on the process. It was an error on both ends – I was unfortunately misinformed but also they were very unclear when explaining the timeline and dates to me, so my expectations were misguided.

      Reply

Your thoughts?