NZ Citizenship - time taken for approval

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Rmani

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#281345 12-Feb-2021 11:51

Have applied for NZ citizenship early December 2020. No updates yet. The helpline people say due to covid-19 applications are taking a while to be processed. While few of my friends who have applied during lockdown have got their citizenship in couple of weeks.

What exactly happens once I apply and why it takes so long. Yes, the website says 7-12 months and I do not have any travel plans for this year. But would like to understand why it would take so long for some and 15 days for some.

Would like to know people's experiences on this.

Rmani

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#2655150 12-Feb-2021 12:00

2 weeks approved? that's very fast.

they do background checks (police), if anything needs to be translated, etc. Back in 2015, mine took almost 3 months, and another 3 months to wait for the ceremony

My friend applied after the first lockdown and still waiting...

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#2655151 12-Feb-2021 12:04

Under 1 year

SaltyNZ

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2degrees

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#2655152 12-Feb-2021 12:04

I did mine in early December 2018. Got the letter to say I was accepted in mid January. Ceremony wasn't till March, though. The Monday after the Christchurch attack, as it happens, which made it a little weird but also that much more special. As it is as much a celebration of where we come from as it is where we have arrived, it was a giant f*** you to everything the shooter stood for.

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Rikkitic

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#2655153 12-Feb-2021 12:08

I can't remember how long mine took. It was a long time ago. But I think it was reasonably quick, a few weeks or so.

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PolicyGuy

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#2655174 12-Feb-2021 13:04

Fifteen minutes
I went to the courthouse, produced my birth certificate and my driver's licence booklet with the stamps to proved I'd been resident in NZ for more than two years, paid my $40 (IIRC, it may have been less expensive), and they gave me the Certificate of Citizenship on the spot.

No ceremony, no pot-plant, no fancy A4 certificate (mine's about 1/3 quarto size, details typed on)

Yes, it was 1979
Things were simpler then :D

tchart

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#2655177 12-Feb-2021 13:16

Submitted mine early October. Not heard a peep.

Been here 20+ years so not expecting any issues but I expect things are delayed somewhat as they recover from the backlog created by working at home etc.

I would've expected 4-6 weeks but mines been in for 4 months now.

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Rikkitic

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#2655179 12-Feb-2021 13:25

tchart: Submitted mine early October. Not heard a peep.

Been here 20+ years so not expecting any issues but I expect things are delayed somewhat as they recover from the backlog created by working at home etc.

I would've expected 4-6 weeks but mines been in for 4 months now.

Maybe you should follow up, just to make sure they haven't lost it. Four months without any word seems a long time, even by today's standards.

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Handsomedan

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#2655181 12-Feb-2021 13:31

Rikkitic:

tchart: Submitted mine early October. Not heard a peep.

Been here 20+ years so not expecting any issues but I expect things are delayed somewhat as they recover from the backlog created by working at home etc.

I would've expected 4-6 weeks but mines been in for 4 months now.

Maybe you should follow up, just to make sure they haven't lost it. Four months without any word seems a long time, even by today's standards.

I'd tend to agree with that...seems a long silence.

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tchart

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#2655182 12-Feb-2021 13:38

Handsomedan:

I'd tend to agree with that...seems a long silence.

Thanks, Ive dropped them a line. I checked with my NZ referee and they havent been contacted.

I hadnt actually thought too much as a friend had applied before me and hadnt got his either but it turns out he completed the forms but never sent it in!

I think much like residency it probably depends a lot on what office your application turns up at. Some are known to take much longer.

Rmani

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#2655184 12-Feb-2021 13:43

When I contacted them towards the end of January, I was told case officer is yet to be assigned. Was under the impression, citizenship applications will be handled by offices within NZ, not sure if that's the case.

Rmani

tchart

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#2655189 12-Feb-2021 13:54

Rmani:
When I contacted them towards the end of January, I was told case officer is yet to be assigned. Was under the impression, citizenship applications will be handled by offices within NZ, not sure if that's the case.

May not always be the case.

My MIL applied for a visa to visit in 2019 and she got called by someone from Beijing. We thought it was a scam at first but it was legit

BTW she doesn't live in China or Asia.

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rogercruse

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#2655200 12-Feb-2021 14:33

From submitting the completed forms to being booked on at a citizenship ceremony was about 4 months when I did mine in 2005.

One thing worthing knowing is that you don't need to wait for the full five years to have elapsed before applying. The process assumes that you can be absent from NZ for up to four months for each full year. So, check how many days you've been in NZ during your fifth year and then apply a little bit sooner. Check the paperwork id you don't believe me.

Also, you don't really get might choice is when or where the ceremony is performed. If you've Auckland based then you can request almost of their Auckland locations. However, this means going to the back of the queue and possibly waiting even longer.

The actual ceremony follows a fixed agenda and isn't too dissimilar to a university graduation ceremony, that is, you queue up on one side of the stage, walk on to the stage when your name is announced, collect you envelope, shake a few hands and walk off the otherside. Considering that the citizenship fee is about $500 per person, I would have preferred something better or the option to get citizenship certificate posted to me (you don't really need the paperwork as your details are recorded on their systems).

I applied for my NZ Passport the following morning and this arrived within two weeks.

Geektastic

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#2655336 12-Feb-2021 16:19

It was pretty quick when we did it. Perhaps a month or 6 weeks until we got the approval letter then I did my ceremony privately the next day with the Mayor because my father was dying and I needed to apply for my passport immediately. My wife waited another couple of months for her ceremony.

rabba

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#2655552 13-Feb-2021 09:24

Wife applied 18th June and has ceremony on the 23 Feb

tchart

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#2656505 15-Feb-2021 10:22

Just got this email;

Your application has not yet been assigned to a case officer.

Assignment to a case officer can take five to seven months.

Most applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application within seven to twelve months of submitting a complete and correct application.

If there are any issues with the application, the case officer will be in contact with you.

If your application is approved, we will email you to confirm your approval for citizenship.

After your citizenship application has been approved, it normally takes between two to five months for you to be invited to attend a ceremony in your area. The waiting time to be invited to a ceremony is dependent on where you live and the schedule of your local council.

@rabba how long was it before you had any contact from them?

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