tchart:

 

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? 

 

Crikey! 

My wife and I really need to get our citizenship sorted...we've both been here since the early 1970's but both have always travelled on UK passports as UK citizens/NZ Permanent Residents. 

Can't believe it takes so long!! 

Handsomedan:

 

Crikey! 

 

My wife and I really need to get our citizenship sorted...we've both been here since the early 1970's but both have always travelled on UK passports as UK citizens/NZ Permanent Residents. 

 

Can't believe it takes so long!! 

 

Agree.

I couldnt find any more recent stats but in 2018 35,737 people were granted citizenship. So roughly 750 per week (assuming 48 working weeks).

No idea how that is spread across any number of case officers but I can see how they could be backed up.

Took my wife’s application a few months last year. Allow half a year.

Received email on 6/1/21 to say approved so just short of 7 months of silence from lodgment to approval.  Was a run of the mill application.  Wife's 23/2 ceremony was brought forward to tomorrow and she has now received an email saying she will not have to attend due to COVID and that they will just post the certificate out.  Bonus!

rabba:

Received email on 6/1/21 to say approved so just short of 7 months of silence from lodgment to approval.  Was a run of the mill application.  Wife's 23/2 ceremony was brought forward to tomorrow and she has now received an email saying she will not have to attend due to COVID and that they will just post the certificate out.  Bonus!

Just an update for those who are interested.

My application (submitted October 2020) has still not been assigned to a case manager. I queried this given its been 7 months now.

Someone from DIA called me back (which was nice) and said they have a major backlog. He said they are busy processing applications from August 2020 at the moment.

Based on that Im guessing mine will be another 2 months before someone even looks at it.

I asked why and they said the demand for NZ passports (via citizenship applications) has increased since COVID - he didnt say whether this is from permananent residents within NZ or from elsewhere.

FWIW. I submitted my application on 13th September 2020 and haven't heard a peep since.

I had just assumed backlog etc and that it would likely be closer to the 10 months than the 5 that they quoted!

Item:

 

FWIW. I submitted my application on 13th September 2020 and haven't heard a peep since.

 

I had just assumed backlog etc and that it would likely be closer to the 10 months than the 5 that they quoted!

 

Hopefully you'll hear something soon since they are processing August 2020 at the moment. He did say that I would be contacted when a case manager was assigned.

I submitted mine in December 2020, so I guess it'd be at least another 4-5 months before I hear something.

I guess we should start thinking about putting our applications in, so we can travel in 2029...

Informative thread, thanks for starting it @Rmani. Sounds like I should get the ball rolling on my wife's citizenship application sooner rather than later!

I submitted my application today, website said to expect it to take 5 -10 months,  the subsequent confirmation email said 7 -12 months.  (The $470 payment processing took less than 2 seconds 😜.)

That's 9 months for a case officer to be assigned 😲 looks like i'll have to wait for a while...

Rmani:

That's 9 months for a case officer to be assigned 😲 looks like i'll have to wait for a while...