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Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

A section for posts relating to applications for Naturalisation or Registration as a British Citizen. Naturalisation

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Rmast93
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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by Rmast93 » Tue Apr 27, 2021 10:39 am

Cure123 wrote:
Mon Apr 26, 2021 5:21 pm
Rmast93 wrote:
Mon Apr 26, 2021 5:16 pm
Cure123 wrote:
Mon Apr 26, 2021 5:04 pm
Rmast93 wrote:
Mon Apr 26, 2021 2:38 pm
Hi

Just got my invitation letter Bradford Council.

Approval letter by emaiĺ 16/03/2021
Ceremony invitation dated 12/04/2021.
Waiting on Ceremony date from council......

Good luck to you all.
Did you contact the council and what did they say
I called and they told me to send a request to them via the council website. After sending the message there was an auto reply saying it may take up to 5 days to get a response due to high number of requests.
Great, please keep me posted. I am still waiting a reply from my council. Radio silence

Well I have just had a phone telling me my certificate has been recrived and they are looking to get a date, I am likely to get a late June one. They will write out with a specific date ASAP.

lalla22
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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by lalla22 » Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:57 pm

stronk wrote:
Mon Mar 01, 2021 12:32 pm
For anyone still waiting from November, here's what I'm doing in case it's any help.

My approval date was 18 November 2020.

I first wrote to my local council, who said no certificate has been received for me. If you're lucky, they might have received a certificate and they might be one of the councils that doesn't care about the Home Office invitation letter (Wandsworth isn't one of these councils).

Then I wrote to citizenship.support@homeoffice.gov.uk (the contact address in the approval letter PDF) and CT2caseworkenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk (the contact address in the e-mail to which the PDF was attached; presumably you might have a different address in your e-mail as 'CT2' might be a specific team assigned to my application route). The e-mails ask them what the hold up is, referencing other applicants posting on immigration forums who are receiving invitations based on substantially later approval dates.

That was a week ago. I expect I might get a response around the end of May. Since it is probably going to take so long, I have also submitted a complaint using the form here: https://www.gov.uk/complain-uk-visas-immigration. There were no appropriate options in this form, so I chose what seemed to be the nearest appropriate complaint reasons: 'Waiting for a decision or documents' -> 'A decision on an application'.

I used the Home Office Ref # from the approval letter in the form. The text of my complaint was basically:

"I am complaining about the length of time UKVI is taking to print and mail my citizenship certificate and ceremony invitation letter following approval of my naturalisation application on [date]. You can resolve this complaint by sending out the necessary documents for me and my local council (Wandsworth) to complete the citizenship process."

Note that UKVI has a separate complaint form from the general Home Office one, so don't get caught out and have to wait another several months.

I haven't yet tried my MP. I will try them if I don't hear anything (or hear something useless) within 20 working days (morning of 30 March).

Hopefully this will all be unnecessary and I'll receive the letter soon. But if I'm subject to the dreaded 'technical error', the sooner I complain and start the months-long process of getting someone to respond, the better. If you're still waiting based on a mid-November or earlier approval, you might also want to start the process.
Hello,

do you have any news? I have received my approval letter on the 9th of November 2020 and still waiting for my certificate. I started contacting my Council and the Home Office in March.

Still no reply from them. Thanks!

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by Jojo0316 » Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:09 pm

Further to the last email I received from the HO after me following up consistently and making several phone calls to them to check why I have not received my invitation and my council has not received the certificate. I was approved 15th Jan. I called again today and the lady was on the verge of actually getting rude to me. And she blatantly told me if I don’t hear back in 5 days don’t call again till the 19th of May as my last ticket was raised on the 19th of April. I asked so what’s the hold up she again blatantly said well your not the only one. I really don’t understand what to do next?

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mental4vray
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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by mental4vray » Tue Apr 27, 2021 2:49 pm

Date of receipt of approval: 25th March 2021 via post (150 days since submission date)
Date on Approval letter: 23rd March 2021
Date of receipt of ceremony letter: 24th April 2021 (Dated 15th April 2021)
Date of Ceremony: 27th April 2021 @ Milton Keynes Council Office

Milton Keynes Council has stopped doing virtual ceremonies so had to go into the office for a group ceremony.

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by LNDwaiting » Wed Apr 28, 2021 4:08 pm

After waiting for 11 months, I received my ceremony invitation letter from HO. I was not in country when it arrived and I asked my landlord to take photo and send it to me.

Now when I returned back to UK, my landlord has lost the letter. :cry: :cry:

I have an appointment tomorrow at Ealing Coucil for ceremony. I sent several email to council asking if I can bring copy of letter because I dont have original. They never replied.

Does anyone know, if council will allow me to continue with ceremony with a copy of that invitation letter as I dont have original letter with me?

Regards,

Música
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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by Música » Thu Apr 29, 2021 10:54 am

LNDwaiting wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 4:08 pm
After waiting for 11 months, I received my ceremony invitation letter from HO. I was not in country when it arrived and I asked my landlord to take photo and send it to me.

Now when I returned back to UK, my landlord has lost the letter. :cry: :cry:

I have an appointment tomorrow at Ealing Coucil for ceremony. I sent several email to council asking if I can bring copy of letter because I dont have original. They never replied.

Does anyone know, if council will allow me to continue with ceremony with a copy of that invitation letter as I dont have original letter with me?

Regards,
Did you manage to do the ceremony without the original letter? Hoping all is going well 🙏

ygggy
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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by ygggy » Fri Apr 30, 2021 7:10 am

Date of receipt of approval: March 19th 2021 via email (121 days since submission date)
Date on Approval letter: March 19th 2021
Date of receipt of ceremony letter: 25th April 2021 (Dated 16th April 2021)
Date of Ceremony: 30th June 2021 @ Hillingdon Council

DreamerInDarkness
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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by DreamerInDarkness » Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:37 am

Does anyone know a way to get in contact with Cambridgeshire citizenship office? I've emailed 10 days ago, radio silence. I've sent followups as well without any response. The phone number on the letter just says email the details and hangs up with no option to talk to anyone. The letter says I need to book the ceremony within 21 days of the date on the letter, which has now passed due to their non-responsiveness.

Do I need to physically go into the city council and ask to speak to someone personally? Do I need to get my MP involved?

glosnat
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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by glosnat » Fri Apr 30, 2021 2:10 pm

DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:37 am
Does anyone know a way to get in contact with Cambridgeshire citizenship office? I've emailed 10 days ago, radio silence.
E-mailed them and got a reply in a few hours.
You should provide them all the details they asked for and might be better to send a new email as well.

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by DreamerInDarkness » Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:13 pm

glosnat wrote:
Fri Apr 30, 2021 2:10 pm
DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:37 am
Does anyone know a way to get in contact with Cambridgeshire citizenship office? I've emailed 10 days ago, radio silence.
E-mailed them and got a reply in a few hours.
You should provide them all the details they asked for and might be better to send a new email as well.
Thanks. Good to know they're not awful to everyone!

I provided everything they asked for, in all my emails, complete radio silence apart from the auto response (so they can't claim they haven't been getting my emails).

If I don't hear anything for 14 days from the original email I will write to my MP, the chairman of the Cambridgeshire council and the local government ombudsman.

PoolX1
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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by PoolX1 » Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:07 pm

Did anybody over here had a recent ceremony experience with the Redbridge Council? I received my invitation letter on 26th April and i called Redbridge council to book the ceremony but they said they don;t do booking over the phone. They need an email containing a copy of the invitation letter and our contact number. Once they receive that, someone from the council will get back which can take up to three weeks and after that i don't know what date they will give for ceremony. Any idea about their timelines? I don;t understand their delays now and they are still doing virtual ceremonies only.

intrusive
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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by intrusive » Sat May 01, 2021 1:47 am

Nationality: Pakistan
Date of application: 12 Feb 2021
Date Biometrics enrolled: 16 March 2021
Date on Approval via email: 24 march 2021
Date of receipt of ceremony letter: 26 April 2021
Date on the letter printed: 19 April 2021
Date of letter from Birmingham council: 29 April
Date of ceremony: 06 July 2021

I Had opted for Birmingham council instead of my council because that council used to offer virtual ceremonies. That is very late its more than two months from the letter of invitation date. i cannot believe my eyes when i opened and saw the letter from Birmingham council.
Does any one have any idea can i change it to my local council in Worcester please. or any one knows how to expedite it with birmingham council. Many thanks.
Good luck to everyone waiting :)

jenangeles
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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by jenangeles » Sat May 01, 2021 11:25 am

Eligibility criteria: Spouse of EU/EEA + 1 year SS
Language Criteria: Life in the UK test + US citizen
Nationality : US
Method of application: Online
Date of application: 21/11/2020
Date of biometrics enrolled (in person): 23/11/2020 in Guildford - paid appointment
Date of acknowledgement: 25/11/2020
Date on Approval letter: 13/4/2021 via email
Date of receipt of ceremony letter (via post): 1/5/2021 (Date on letter 23/4/2021)
Date of Ceremony: need to schedule with Windsor & Maidenhead council, they said they can get us in within a month of receipt of ceremony invite so this whole thing should be over soon!

Manjil
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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by Manjil » Mon May 03, 2021 7:51 am

MALCOM2 wrote:
Mon Feb 15, 2021 5:59 pm
AncientSquash wrote:
Mon Feb 15, 2021 11:05 am
MALCOM2 wrote:
Sat Feb 13, 2021 7:53 pm
tariq1956 wrote:
Wed Feb 10, 2021 2:47 pm

Thanks a lot. I will keep you updated as well. But you still haven't received the invitation, correct?
How are you ? Just to let you know that I did received my invitation letter today by post .approval date 25 of November 2020 . Invitation letter received today 13 of February.
Hi Malcolm - congrats on finally receiving your invitation letter. I am still awaiting my invitation letter (applied 8 September 2020; approved 18 November 2020) so hopefully my letter will also come this week judging on your post and another member's posts in relation to Southwark. If it doesn't arrive this week - the 3 month window the Home Office has given as the maximum amount of time it can take will be reached. Can you please kindly share the email address for Southwark council you referred to in your previous post so I can also reach out to them? I went on the Southwark website today but can't see any relevant contact details. Thank you!
Yes I just done my ceremony today this morning around 8h30 AM with Southwark council. I received my invitation letter on Saturday 13 of February and I did write a nice Spammy Spammer to a woman call xxxxx and the same Saturday and I attach my invitation letter to the email. And this morning around Monday 15 around 8 am in the morning she email me back that if I can do it on Saturday 20 my virtual ceremony. An I did reply to her that I don’t mind . I did aske her if I can come over to pick my certificate of naturalisation on the same saturday. And she replied to me that the office will be close on Saturday. I email back again what about Monday can I come over to pick it up . And suddenly I got a reply back if I’m free now to do it today ,At that time I was in bed and I jumpe up straight away without brushing or bath . She send me a zoom link and password. I downloaded to my idiot-phone and put my username and password. And we was live . We only take just 5 mn . And after I went straight away to collect it around 1pm .and I send my passport application straight away. You can email xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxl@southwark.gov.uk A wonderful woman anything you want to ask her please don’t hesitate.good luck
I did not understand the point of going out to the council for collecting your certificate? Shouldn't they just mail it to your address ?

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by Manu_here » Mon May 03, 2021 9:49 pm

Jojo0316 wrote:
Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:09 pm
Further to the last email I received from the HO after me following up consistently and making several phone calls to them to check why I have not received my invitation and my council has not received the certificate. I was approved 15th Jan. I called again today and the lady was on the verge of actually getting rude to me. And she blatantly told me if I don’t hear back in 5 days don’t call again till the 19th of May as my last ticket was raised on the 19th of April. I asked so what’s the hold up she again blatantly said well your not the only one. I really don’t understand what to do next?
Hi,

Did you get any further update from HO regarding ceremony letter ?Lot of other applicants looks like are getting ceremony letter whose approval even in March timeframe .Ours is Jan mid/Feb 1st week and still no reply not sure what is this wait all about ,after approval it should be quite straight forward to send letter.

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by LNDwaiting » Mon May 03, 2021 10:25 pm

Música wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 10:54 am
LNDwaiting wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 4:08 pm
After waiting for 11 months, I received my ceremony invitation letter from HO. I was not in country when it arrived and I asked my landlord to take photo and send it to me.

Now when I returned back to UK, my landlord has lost the letter. :cry: :cry:

I have an appointment tomorrow at Ealing Coucil for ceremony. I sent several email to council asking if I can bring copy of letter because I dont have original. They never replied.

Does anyone know, if council will allow me to continue with ceremony with a copy of that invitation letter as I dont have original letter with me?

Regards,
Did you manage to do the ceremony without the original letter? Hoping all is going well 🙏
Hi,

Yes, They didnt ask me for original letter. A copy was sufficient for them to allow me. I am happy. :D
Glad that finally it is over.

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by negmas » Tue May 04, 2021 12:35 pm

hi guys,

Just few updates from me which can be useful for some of you:

I've got my approval on 16th of April and received the invitation letter from Home Office on 1st of May. The date on the letter is 25th of April. As Greenwich council do not do virtual ceremony the next available slot is Sep/ Oct so Ive booked the private one for 7th of May and paid £160.. I think to pay for it and get done it faster is better option, otherwise you have to wait months for ceremony.

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by DreamerInDarkness » Tue May 04, 2021 1:45 pm

DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:13 pm
glosnat wrote:
Fri Apr 30, 2021 2:10 pm
DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:37 am
Does anyone know a way to get in contact with Cambridgeshire citizenship office? I've emailed 10 days ago, radio silence.
E-mailed them and got a reply in a few hours.
You should provide them all the details they asked for and might be better to send a new email as well.
Thanks. Good to know they're not awful to everyone!

I provided everything they asked for, in all my emails, complete radio silence apart from the auto response (so they can't claim they haven't been getting my emails).

If I don't hear anything for 14 days from the original email I will write to my MP, the chairman of the Cambridgeshire council and the local government ombudsman.
14 days and no response, and now I have contacted the office of the chairman of the Cambridgeshire council, who told me they will look into this. If I don't hear back within 7 days it will be time to contact the local government ombudsman.

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by jenangeles » Tue May 04, 2021 5:04 pm

negmas wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 12:35 pm
hi guys,

Just few updates from me which can be useful for some of you:

I've got my approval on 16th of April and received the invitation letter from Home Office on 1st of May. The date on the letter is 25th of April. As Greenwich council do not do virtual ceremony the next available slot is Sep/ Oct so Ive booked the private one for 7th of May and paid £160.. I think to pay for it and get done it faster is better option, otherwise you have to wait months for ceremony.
I’ve done the same. Got my letter 1st of May, booked in for a private ceremony next week.

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by KathyR » Wed May 05, 2021 8:01 am

jenangeles wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 5:04 pm
negmas wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 12:35 pm
hi guys,

Just few updates from me which can be useful for some of you:

I've got my approval on 16th of April and received the invitation letter from Home Office on 1st of May. The date on the letter is 25th of April. As Greenwich council do not do virtual ceremony the next available slot is Sep/ Oct so Ive booked the private one for 7th of May and paid £160.. I think to pay for it and get done it faster is better option, otherwise you have to wait months for ceremony.
I’ve done the same. Got my letter 1st of May, booked in for a private ceremony next week.
I have also received the invitation on the 1st of May, called the Greenwich Council yesterday, but they said they don't have my documentation yet :( super nervous

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by CR001 » Wed May 05, 2021 11:19 am

Can members please only post their timeline only posts in the specific timeline only topic!! This thread is not a timeline topic.

british-citizenship/naturalisation-appl ... l#p2008184
Char (CR001 not Casa)
In life you cannot press the Backspace button!!
Please DO NOT send me a PM for immigration advice. I reserve the right to ignore the PM and not respond.

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by bizman » Thu May 06, 2021 12:02 pm

My wife and I had our ceremony today, and I have collected my certificate, Glory to God.
Want to thank everyone on this platform for your support so far, CR001, Zimba and especially my friend Cullinan. Thank you all so very much and pray for everyone still pursuing theirs, Gods speed. 🙏🙏🙏
Bizman

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by yoz_yok » Thu May 06, 2021 5:33 pm

Hello all,

Can we request Ceremony Invite Letter via email, if yes from which email do we need to ask it for ?
Please kindly let me know as i believe my letter has been despatch but i have not received the post from HMRC the only post has arrived from local council inviting me to the ceremony

Recently i have emailed to below addresses but no response, please advise how i can get my invite letter via email ?

Citizenship.Support@homeoffice.gov.uk, nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk, "nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk; furthernationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk

Thank you

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by bizman » Fri May 07, 2021 10:15 am

Council invitation letter with your approval letter and ID is sufficient. Don’t bother about invitation letter from HO. I did mine ceremony without invitation from HO
Bizman

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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by KathyR » Fri May 07, 2021 10:27 am

jenangeles wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 5:04 pm
negmas wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 12:35 pm
hi guys,

Just few updates from me which can be useful for some of you:

I've got my approval on 16th of April and received the invitation letter from Home Office on 1st of May. The date on the letter is 25th of April. As Greenwich council do not do virtual ceremony the next available slot is Sep/ Oct so Ive booked the private one for 7th of May and paid £160.. I think to pay for it and get done it faster is better option, otherwise you have to wait months for ceremony.
I’ve done the same. Got my letter 1st of May, booked in for a private ceremony next week.
How did you guys book it so quickly? I emailed the council as advised on the website on Monday and still noone came back to me. I called them yesterday, they said they have my certificate

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