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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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bizman
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Posts: 1100
Joined: Tue May 30, 2017 8:15 pm
Location: UK
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Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by bizman » Thu Jun 24, 2021 7:30 am

In my own case, I got the approval on the 19th of March 21 through email which covers my entire family of 8, a week after my children got all their certificates of registration as citizens, April 25th my wife got her letter of ceremony but till date I never get mine. However I approached 5HE council and they confirmed they got both certificates and so we fixed our ceremony day which was like 12 days away then hoping my ceremony letter will arrive before then. When it was like four days to ceremony I sent an email to home office to ask for my ceremony letter. I also called them but it was not helpful.non the ceremony day, I told the council representative who said it’s ok to go ahead since they have my certificate. So we did the ceremony and I went to pick the certificate the same day from council. Two weeks after ceremony an email came from home office confirming my ceremony letter has been sent same day as my wife’s but it never arrived, it was lost in transit. I however didn’t bother again since I have done my ceremony and received my certificate.

So I will advise you to press your council to know if your certificate arrived and ask if you can do your ceremony, lots of councils does. I now have my British Passport and so said bye bye to Home office hopefully forever except for the renewal of my passport in 2031.
Hope this helps you to know what to do. I understand the kind of stress you will be under at the moment.
Bizman

DreamerInDarkness
Junior Member
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2019 8:30 pm
Taiwan

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by DreamerInDarkness » Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:51 pm

bizman wrote:
Thu Jun 24, 2021 7:30 am
In my own case, I got the approval on the 19th of March 21 through email which covers my entire family of 8, a week after my children got all their certificates of registration as citizens, April 25th my wife got her letter of ceremony but till date I never get mine. However I approached 5HE council and they confirmed they got both certificates and so we fixed our ceremony day which was like 12 days away then hoping my ceremony letter will arrive before then. When it was like four days to ceremony I sent an email to home office to ask for my ceremony letter. I also called them but it was not helpful.non the ceremony day, I told the council representative who said it’s ok to go ahead since they have my certificate. So we did the ceremony and I went to pick the certificate the same day from council. Two weeks after ceremony an email came from home office confirming my ceremony letter has been sent same day as my wife’s but it never arrived, it was lost in transit. I however didn’t bother again since I have done my ceremony and received my certificate.

So I will advise you to press your council to know if your certificate arrived and ask if you can do your ceremony, lots of councils does. I now have my British Passport and so said bye bye to Home office hopefully forever except for the renewal of my passport in 2031.
Hope this helps you to know what to do. I understand the kind of stress you will be under at the moment.
You're misunderstanding him. He has already received the invitation from Home Office (said in his first post). It's the Cambridgeshire council that's completely unresponsive, with no means of communications other than an email address which they don't respond to for weeks/months, and a phone number that plays an automated message to people, telling them to email and hangs up.

The only thing to do here is to keep escalating at the council, the chairman, the local government ombudsman, the MP, and Home Office. Once enough people complain, they will have to clean up their act because how they're handling this is completely unacceptable.

DreamerInDarkness
Junior Member
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2019 8:30 pm
Taiwan

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by DreamerInDarkness » Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:53 pm

samapply wrote:
Tue Jun 22, 2021 3:37 pm
DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Thu Jun 17, 2021 7:09 pm
samapply wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:24 pm
Hi All

I received my invitation letter from home office on 12/06/2021 for ceremony , seems like it I have to book ceremony within 21days received letter . date on letter is 03/06/2021 and I don't have enough time.

My issue is I am living in Cambridge and rubbish Cambridge council only responded by email , I tried to call them multiple times but no luck .

What should I do ? will they contact me ?

is anyone know their booking phone number ?

thanks
There is no booking phone number other than the one that's listed on your invitation letter, which goes to an automated message telling you to email and hangs up. From what I understand, the process is that they will check the list of people who contacted them every 2 weeks and respond to emails if they've received the certificates, they don't recheck every day. These emails are usually (though not always) sent on Tuesdays.

You are only required to contact the council within 21 days to book the ceremony, not actually book the ceremony. So as long as you've sent the first email within 21 days of the letter, you've got that bit covered.

Also, it's the Cambridgeshire country council that's responsible for the ceremonies, not the Cambridge city council. In case you want to contact someone (like the chairman of the council) to escalate, or get the MP involved, make sure you escalate at the county council and not the city council.
Thank you for your replay

I am thinking to go to Home office Liverpool in person and asked them about letter , I am sure they will say they can't help and you need to wait . but I am hoping they can re-send letter if I asked.
Stress level is very high at the moment. :(

Is home office "Liverpool" open for visitors ? if yes when and what time I should be there ?
Thanks
If you want to visit somewhere, visit the Cambridgeshire county council (in Huntingdon) and ask to speak to the citizenship officer (if they're not available, anyone who supervises their work). Visiting Home Office is pointless.

samapply
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Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2019 8:58 pm

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by samapply » Fri Jun 25, 2021 11:42 am

bizman wrote:
Thu Jun 24, 2021 7:30 am
In my own case, I got the approval on the 19th of March 21 through email which covers my entire family of 8, a week after my children got all their certificates of registration as citizens, April 25th my wife got her letter of ceremony but till date I never get mine. However I approached 5HE council and they confirmed they got both certificates and so we fixed our ceremony day which was like 12 days away then hoping my ceremony letter will arrive before then. When it was like four days to ceremony I sent an email to home office to ask for my ceremony letter. I also called them but it was not helpful.non the ceremony day, I told the council representative who said it’s ok to go ahead since they have my certificate. So we did the ceremony and I went to pick the certificate the same day from council. Two weeks after ceremony an email came from home office confirming my ceremony letter has been sent same day as my wife’s but it never arrived, it was lost in transit. I however didn’t bother again since I have done my ceremony and received my certificate.

So I will advise you to press your council to know if your certificate arrived and ask if you can do your ceremony, lots of councils does. I now have my British Passport and so said bye bye to Home office hopefully forever except for the renewal of my passport in 2031.
Hope this helps you to know what to do. I understand the kind of stress you will be under at the moment.
Thank you
Honestly I contacted Cambridge county council multiply times , at the moment only option is email to contact Cambridge. Honestly they are worst council as it get. and whenever I sent email I am receiving autoreply.
Even I sent email to them with copy of my invitation letter and explain situation but no luck even I have not got any respond from them.

samapply
Newbie
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2019 8:58 pm

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by samapply » Fri Jun 25, 2021 11:56 am

DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:51 pm
bizman wrote:
Thu Jun 24, 2021 7:30 am
In my own case, I got the approval on the 19th of March 21 through email which covers my entire family of 8, a week after my children got all their certificates of registration as citizens, April 25th my wife got her letter of ceremony but till date I never get mine. However I approached 5HE council and they confirmed they got both certificates and so we fixed our ceremony day which was like 12 days away then hoping my ceremony letter will arrive before then. When it was like four days to ceremony I sent an email to home office to ask for my ceremony letter. I also called them but it was not helpful.non the ceremony day, I told the council representative who said it’s ok to go ahead since they have my certificate. So we did the ceremony and I went to pick the certificate the same day from council. Two weeks after ceremony an email came from home office confirming my ceremony letter has been sent same day as my wife’s but it never arrived, it was lost in transit. I however didn’t bother again since I have done my ceremony and received my certificate.

So I will advise you to press your council to know if your certificate arrived and ask if you can do your ceremony, lots of councils does. I now have my British Passport and so said bye bye to Home office hopefully forever except for the renewal of my passport in 2031.
Hope this helps you to know what to do. I understand the kind of stress you will be under at the moment.
You're misunderstanding him. He has already received the invitation from Home Office (said in his first post). It's the Cambridgeshire council that's completely unresponsive, with no means of communications other than an email address which they don't respond to for weeks/months, and a phone number that plays an automated message to people, telling them to email and hangs up.

The only thing to do here is to keep escalating at the council, the chairman, the local government ombudsman, the MP, and Home Office. Once enough people complain, they will have to clean up their act because how they're handling this is completely unacceptable.

Thank you

Complain List
- Local MP ---> Email for now if I don't get respond will call
- Home office ---> Email and letter to Liverpool office with recorded delivery
- Council ---> Email
- local government ombudsman, --> not yet
- I am planning to ask Guardian newspaper if I don't get respond by next week.

samapply
Newbie
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2019 8:58 pm

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by samapply » Fri Jun 25, 2021 11:58 am

DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:53 pm
samapply wrote:
Tue Jun 22, 2021 3:37 pm
DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Thu Jun 17, 2021 7:09 pm
samapply wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:24 pm
Hi All

I received my invitation letter from home office on 12/06/2021 for ceremony , seems like it I have to book ceremony within 21days received letter . date on letter is 03/06/2021 and I don't have enough time.

My issue is I am living in Cambridge and rubbish Cambridge council only responded by email , I tried to call them multiple times but no luck .

What should I do ? will they contact me ?

is anyone know their booking phone number ?

thanks
There is no booking phone number other than the one that's listed on your invitation letter, which goes to an automated message telling you to email and hangs up. From what I understand, the process is that they will check the list of people who contacted them every 2 weeks and respond to emails if they've received the certificates, they don't recheck every day. These emails are usually (though not always) sent on Tuesdays.

You are only required to contact the council within 21 days to book the ceremony, not actually book the ceremony. So as long as you've sent the first email within 21 days of the letter, you've got that bit covered.

Also, it's the Cambridgeshire country council that's responsible for the ceremonies, not the Cambridge city council. In case you want to contact someone (like the chairman of the council) to escalate, or get the MP involved, make sure you escalate at the county council and not the city council.
Thank you for your replay

I am thinking to go to Home office Liverpool in person and asked them about letter , I am sure they will say they can't help and you need to wait . but I am hoping they can re-send letter if I asked.
Stress level is very high at the moment. :(

Is home office "Liverpool" open for visitors ? if yes when and what time I should be there ?
Thanks
If you want to visit somewhere, visit the Cambridgeshire county council (in Huntingdon) and ask to speak to the citizenship officer (if they're not available, anyone who supervises their work). Visiting Home Office is pointless.

Thanks again I will go in person. even they are saying office doors are closed for visitors but I won't give up.

DreamerInDarkness
Junior Member
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2019 8:30 pm
Taiwan

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by DreamerInDarkness » Fri Jun 25, 2021 2:02 pm

samapply wrote:
Fri Jun 25, 2021 11:58 am
DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:53 pm
samapply wrote:
Tue Jun 22, 2021 3:37 pm
DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Thu Jun 17, 2021 7:09 pm
samapply wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:24 pm
Hi All

I received my invitation letter from home office on 12/06/2021 for ceremony , seems like it I have to book ceremony within 21days received letter . date on letter is 03/06/2021 and I don't have enough time.

My issue is I am living in Cambridge and rubbish Cambridge council only responded by email , I tried to call them multiple times but no luck .

What should I do ? will they contact me ?

is anyone know their booking phone number ?

thanks
There is no booking phone number other than the one that's listed on your invitation letter, which goes to an automated message telling you to email and hangs up. From what I understand, the process is that they will check the list of people who contacted them every 2 weeks and respond to emails if they've received the certificates, they don't recheck every day. These emails are usually (though not always) sent on Tuesdays.

You are only required to contact the council within 21 days to book the ceremony, not actually book the ceremony. So as long as you've sent the first email within 21 days of the letter, you've got that bit covered.

Also, it's the Cambridgeshire country council that's responsible for the ceremonies, not the Cambridge city council. In case you want to contact someone (like the chairman of the council) to escalate, or get the MP involved, make sure you escalate at the county council and not the city council.
Thank you for your replay

I am thinking to go to Home office Liverpool in person and asked them about letter , I am sure they will say they can't help and you need to wait . but I am hoping they can re-send letter if I asked.
Stress level is very high at the moment. :(

Is home office "Liverpool" open for visitors ? if yes when and what time I should be there ?
Thanks
If you want to visit somewhere, visit the Cambridgeshire county council (in Huntingdon) and ask to speak to the citizenship officer (if they're not available, anyone who supervises their work). Visiting Home Office is pointless.

Thanks again I will go in person. even they are saying office doors are closed for visitors but I won't give up.
Good luck my friend.

Hass112
Newbie
Posts: 49
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2020 4:11 pm
Mood:

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by Hass112 » Sat Jun 26, 2021 1:38 pm

Hi Everyone,

Anyone on here who got the invitation letter for Southwark council? Is there a long waiting period for ceremony appointments (Southwark council)

Hass112
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Posts: 49
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2020 4:11 pm
Mood:

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by Hass112 » Sat Jun 26, 2021 5:23 pm

Do Southwark council offer online ceremony booking

samapply
Newbie
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2019 8:58 pm

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by samapply » Fri Jul 02, 2021 11:44 am

DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Fri Jun 25, 2021 2:02 pm
samapply wrote:
Fri Jun 25, 2021 11:58 am
DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:53 pm
samapply wrote:
Tue Jun 22, 2021 3:37 pm
DreamerInDarkness wrote:
Thu Jun 17, 2021 7:09 pm
samapply wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:24 pm
Hi All

I received my invitation letter from home office on 12/06/2021 for ceremony , seems like it I have to book ceremony within 21days received letter . date on letter is 03/06/2021 and I don't have enough time.

My issue is I am living in Cambridge and rubbish Cambridge council only responded by email , I tried to call them multiple times but no luck .

What should I do ? will they contact me ?

is anyone know their booking phone number ?

thanks
There is no booking phone number other than the one that's listed on your invitation letter, which goes to an automated message telling you to email and hangs up. From what I understand, the process is that they will check the list of people who contacted them every 2 weeks and respond to emails if they've received the certificates, they don't recheck every day. These emails are usually (though not always) sent on Tuesdays.

You are only required to contact the council within 21 days to book the ceremony, not actually book the ceremony. So as long as you've sent the first email within 21 days of the letter, you've got that bit covered.

Also, it's the Cambridgeshire country council that's responsible for the ceremonies, not the Cambridge city council. In case you want to contact someone (like the chairman of the council) to escalate, or get the MP involved, make sure you escalate at the county council and not the city council.
Thank you for your replay

I am thinking to go to Home office Liverpool in person and asked them about letter , I am sure they will say they can't help and you need to wait . but I am hoping they can re-send letter if I asked.
Stress level is very high at the moment. :(

Is home office "Liverpool" open for visitors ? if yes when and what time I should be there ?
Thanks
If you want to visit somewhere, visit the Cambridgeshire county council (in Huntingdon) and ask to speak to the citizenship officer (if they're not available, anyone who supervises their work). Visiting Home Office is pointless.

Thanks again I will go in person. even they are saying office doors are closed for visitors but I won't give up.
Good luck my friend.
Thank you all for your help and support
Finally I managed to book Ceremony on 15/07/2021 .

peteragm
Newly Registered
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 12:01 pm
Egypt

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by peteragm » Mon Jul 12, 2021 6:36 am

Hi All ,

Does anyone have experience with Ealing council in booking a ceremony? please advice !

I received the approval from HO by email last Wednesday and they asked me to contact Ealing council to book an appointment , Ealing council doesn't answer any phone calls or emails , and only sending back automated email asking to wait till they contact me themselves ,

AmyHarris92
Newly Registered
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Jun 05, 2019 12:25 am

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by AmyHarris92 » Mon Jul 12, 2021 10:53 am

Hello please can someone help me!!!

I have had my citizenship ceremony virtually last week on Tuesday as I am currently in hotel quarantine. I won't be let out until Saturday 17th July and I am not allowed to send any mail out of the premises at the moment. Will this be an issue with mailing my BRP ILR back and if so, do I need to inform the home office about this or someone else?

Thank you for your help.

samapply
Newbie
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2019 8:58 pm

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by samapply » Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:44 am

peteragm wrote:
Mon Jul 12, 2021 6:36 am
Hi All ,

Does anyone have experience with Ealing council in booking a ceremony? please advice !

I received the approval from HO by email last Wednesday and they asked me to contact Ealing council to book an appointment , Ealing council doesn't answer any phone calls or emails , and only sending back automated email asking to wait till they contact me themselves ,

I assume you got your invitation letter which mentioned you have to book appointment within 21 days if yes. I had similar situation and it took me about one month to book appointment after loads of emails and phone calls . you can check previous comments for more information .

this is my own experience and what I did.
- I sent email to the Home office.
- I sent letter with recorded delivery to home office.
- called my local council multiple times.
- Emailed my local council multiple times
- Emailed my Local MP .
- Complained to my local council.
- Luckily somehow I managed to talk to registration office manager as well.



All the best .

peteragm
Newly Registered
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 12:01 pm
Egypt

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by peteragm » Tue Jul 13, 2021 11:02 am

samapply wrote:
Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:44 am
peteragm wrote:
Mon Jul 12, 2021 6:36 am
Hi All ,

Does anyone have experience with Ealing council in booking a ceremony? please advice !

I received the approval from HO by email last Wednesday and they asked me to contact Ealing council to book an appointment , Ealing council doesn't answer any phone calls or emails , and only sending back automated email asking to wait till they contact me themselves ,

I assume you got your invitation letter which mentioned you have to book appointment within 21 days if yes. I had similar situation and it took me about one month to book appointment after loads of emails and phone calls . you can check previous comments for more information .

this is my own experience and what I did.
- I sent email to the Home office.
- I sent letter with recorded delivery to home office.
- called my local council multiple times.
- Emailed my local council multiple times
- Emailed my Local MP .
- Complained to my local council.
- Luckily somehow I managed to talk to registration office manager as well.



All the best .

Apparently each council got its own rules as I have relative booked his ceremony in Harrow council the following day of receiving the approval letter , Are you Ealing council ?

newlondon
Newly Registered
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2020 11:27 am

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by newlondon » Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:46 pm

Hi guys,

Anyone got approved in mid May and still waiting for their ceremony invitation letter?

Thanks

brexitmeansbrexit
Newly Registered
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:54 pm

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by brexitmeansbrexit » Sat Jul 17, 2021 7:37 am

newlondon wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:46 pm
Hi guys,

Anyone got approved in mid May and still waiting for their ceremony invitation letter?

Thanks
Hi @newlondon

I was approved around mid May and I am still waiting for the ceremony invitation letter. I have asked HO via various emails if they have despatched it along with the naturalisation certificate to the local council but I typically haven’t received any answers back. In my approval letter it stated that I should have received my ceremony invitation within 3 weeks which obviously wasn’t the case. Westminster Council hasn’t received my certificate and I am unable to book my ceremony with them. When I called HO a several weeks ago, apart from being nothing but helpful, I got to find out that those letters are typically send in batches and and I think they might have just started sending to those of mid/late may approvals.

Have you contacted your local council?

newlondon
Newly Registered
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2020 11:27 am

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by newlondon » Sat Jul 17, 2021 8:40 am

Hi,

I have sent several emails to different home office email addresses and none of them have responded.

I have also sent several emails to the council and they have confirmed that they usually get a batch end of the week and they haven’t got mine in there.

I am unsure on what’s going on because if you look at the timeline thread some people are getting them in 3 days after approval however the average remains to be 7-15 days. It’s been more than 60 days in my case.

newlondon
Newly Registered
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2020 11:27 am

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by newlondon » Sat Jul 17, 2021 8:41 am

brexitmeansbrexit wrote:
Sat Jul 17, 2021 7:37 am
newlondon wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:46 pm
Hi guys,

Anyone got approved in mid May and still waiting for their ceremony invitation letter?

Thanks
Hi @newlondon

I was approved around mid May and I am still waiting for the ceremony invitation letter. I have asked HO via various emails if they have despatched it along with the naturalisation certificate to the local council but I typically haven’t received any answers back. In my approval letter it stated that I should have received my ceremony invitation within 3 weeks which obviously wasn’t the case. Westminster Council hasn’t received my certificate and I am unable to book my ceremony with them. When I called HO a several weeks ago, apart from being nothing but helpful, I got to find out that those letters are typically send in batches and and I think they might have just started sending to those of mid/late may approvals.

Have you contacted your local council?

Hi,

I have sent several emails to different home office email addresses and none of them have responded.

I have also sent several emails to the council and they have confirmed that they usually get a batch end of the week and they haven’t got mine in there.

I am unsure on what’s going on because if you look at the timeline thread some people are getting them in 3 days after approval however the average remains to be 7-15 days. It’s been more than 60 days in my case.

newlondon
Newly Registered
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2020 11:27 am

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by newlondon » Sun Jul 25, 2021 4:19 pm

Hi Guys,

Anyone still waiting from mid May approvals or earlier please post your experience as I am still waiting and it is nearly approaching three months to receive the ceremony invitation.

No response to any of the emails sent to different email address so I am unsure what to do next?

@brexitmeansbrexit did you manage to receive the invitation?

Thanks

brexitmeansbrexit
Newly Registered
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:54 pm

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by brexitmeansbrexit » Mon Jul 26, 2021 9:00 am

newlondon wrote:
Sun Jul 25, 2021 4:19 pm
Hi Guys,

Anyone still waiting from mid May approvals or earlier please post your experience as I am still waiting and it is nearly approaching three months to receive the ceremony invitation.

No response to any of the emails sent to different email address so I am unsure what to do next?

@brexitmeansbrexit did you manage to receive the invitation?

Thanks
Hi @newlondon

I have not received my invitation to a ceremony letter yet. I have sent a letter to UKVI to ask for it. I have also sent emails but I am getting no replies back. When I called HO last week, they just confirmed that the ceremony backlog has been apparently cleared so they do not provide those 'batch last sent' updates anymore.

I have contacted my local MP for help. I have not heard back from them. I also raised a SAR request a month ago, which just came back confirming that they have not sent any ceremony letter and there is no update on my case since its approval in late May.

It seems that many applicants now receive a combined approval letter with the ceremony invitation. Our cases seem to have followed the traditional route of sending it separately.

You can try lodging a SAR request about your case (it takes 5weeks approx) and sending a physical letter to UKVI/HO requesting an update.

newlondon
Newly Registered
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2020 11:27 am

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by newlondon » Tue Jul 27, 2021 12:12 pm

brexitmeansbrexit wrote:
Mon Jul 26, 2021 9:00 am
newlondon wrote:
Sun Jul 25, 2021 4:19 pm
Hi Guys,

Anyone still waiting from mid May approvals or earlier please post your experience as I am still waiting and it is nearly approaching three months to receive the ceremony invitation.

No response to any of the emails sent to different email address so I am unsure what to do next?

@brexitmeansbrexit did you manage to receive the invitation?

Thanks
Hi @newlondon

I have not received my invitation to a ceremony letter yet. I have sent a letter to UKVI to ask for it. I have also sent emails but I am getting no replies back. When I called HO last week, they just confirmed that the ceremony backlog has been apparently cleared so they do not provide those 'batch last sent' updates anymore.

I have contacted my local MP for help. I have not heard back from them. I also raised a SAR request a month ago, which just came back confirming that they have not sent any ceremony letter and there is no update on my case since its approval in late May.

It seems that many applicants now receive a combined approval letter with the ceremony invitation. Our cases seem to have followed the traditional route of sending it separately.

You can try lodging a SAR request about your case (it takes 5weeks approx) and sending a physical letter to UKVI/HO requesting an update.
Hi @Brexitmeansbrexit

Thanks for the update. Please keep this thread updated if you manage to progress your application.

Thanks

newlondon
Newly Registered
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2020 11:27 am

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by newlondon » Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:27 pm

brexitmeansbrexit wrote:
Mon Jul 26, 2021 9:00 am
newlondon wrote:
Sun Jul 25, 2021 4:19 pm
Hi Guys,

Anyone still waiting from mid May approvals or earlier please post your experience as I am still waiting and it is nearly approaching three months to receive the ceremony invitation.

No response to any of the emails sent to different email address so I am unsure what to do next?

@brexitmeansbrexit did you manage to receive the invitation?

Thanks
Hi @newlondon

I have not received my invitation to a ceremony letter yet. I have sent a letter to UKVI to ask for it. I have also sent emails but I am getting no replies back. When I called HO last week, they just confirmed that the ceremony backlog has been apparently cleared so they do not provide those 'batch last sent' updates anymore.

I have contacted my local MP for help. I have not heard back from them. I also raised a SAR request a month ago, which just came back confirming that they have not sent any ceremony letter and there is no update on my case since its approval in late May.

It seems that many applicants now receive a combined approval letter with the ceremony invitation. Our cases seem to have followed the traditional route of sending it separately.

You can try lodging a SAR request about your case (it takes 5weeks approx) and sending a physical letter to UKVI/HO requesting an update.
Hi,

Any new updates from your MP or home office?

I have sent several emails and none of them have been responded. I will compose an email to my MP if I do not hear back from them this week.

Let’s see if you have any updates.

Thanks

brexitmeansbrexit
Newly Registered
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:54 pm

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by brexitmeansbrexit » Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:50 pm

newlondon wrote:
Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:27 pm
brexitmeansbrexit wrote:
Mon Jul 26, 2021 9:00 am
newlondon wrote:
Sun Jul 25, 2021 4:19 pm
Hi Guys,

Anyone still waiting from mid May approvals or earlier please post your experience as I am still waiting and it is nearly approaching three months to receive the ceremony invitation.

No response to any of the emails sent to different email address so I am unsure what to do next?

@brexitmeansbrexit did you manage to receive the invitation?

Thanks
Hi @newlondon

I have not received my invitation to a ceremony letter yet. I have sent a letter to UKVI to ask for it. I have also sent emails but I am getting no replies back. When I called HO last week, they just confirmed that the ceremony backlog has been apparently cleared so they do not provide those 'batch last sent' updates anymore.

I have contacted my local MP for help. I have not heard back from them. I also raised a SAR request a month ago, which just came back confirming that they have not sent any ceremony letter and there is no update on my case since its approval in late May.

It seems that many applicants now receive a combined approval letter with the ceremony invitation. Our cases seem to have followed the traditional route of sending it separately.

You can try lodging a SAR request about your case (it takes 5weeks approx) and sending a physical letter to UKVI/HO requesting an update.
Hi,

Any new updates from your MP or home office?

I have sent several emails and none of them have been responded. I will compose an email to my MP if I do not hear back from them this week.

Let’s see if you have any updates.

Thanks
Hi

I have received an update from my MP. She kindly called HO and they only confirmed that I sent them an email in mid July, then it was allocated to a caseworker 5 days later. They could not confirm to her when they will provide me/her with an update. So far they have just acknowledged my email. It is still within the 20-working days windows so I will wait.

In the meantime, I have not received any updates from any of the email addresses even after a chase (furthernationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk, NationalitySupportTeamFMT@homeoffice.gov.uk, NationalityFrontEndTechnicalSpecialists@homeoffice.gov.uk, Citizenship.Support@homeoffice.gov.uk, nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk)

I also sent a physical letter which was received by Nationality team last week. No reply yet.

I am also chasing the Subject Access Requests (SAR) team to provide me with any trace of the letter but it has not been disclosed yet.

Is anyone else still waiting for their ceremony invitation letters with May approval dates?

newlondon
Newly Registered
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2020 11:27 am

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by newlondon » Wed Aug 04, 2021 4:34 pm

brexitmeansbrexit wrote:
Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:50 pm
newlondon wrote:
Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:27 pm
brexitmeansbrexit wrote:
Mon Jul 26, 2021 9:00 am
newlondon wrote:
Sun Jul 25, 2021 4:19 pm
Hi Guys,

Anyone still waiting from mid May approvals or earlier please post your experience as I am still waiting and it is nearly approaching three months to receive the ceremony invitation.

No response to any of the emails sent to different email address so I am unsure what to do next?

@brexitmeansbrexit did you manage to receive the invitation?

Thanks
Hi @newlondon

I have not received my invitation to a ceremony letter yet. I have sent a letter to UKVI to ask for it. I have also sent emails but I am getting no replies back. When I called HO last week, they just confirmed that the ceremony backlog has been apparently cleared so they do not provide those 'batch last sent' updates anymore.

I have contacted my local MP for help. I have not heard back from them. I also raised a SAR request a month ago, which just came back confirming that they have not sent any ceremony letter and there is no update on my case since its approval in late May.

It seems that many applicants now receive a combined approval letter with the ceremony invitation. Our cases seem to have followed the traditional route of sending it separately.

You can try lodging a SAR request about your case (it takes 5weeks approx) and sending a physical letter to UKVI/HO requesting an update.
Hi,

Any new updates from your MP or home office?

I have sent several emails and none of them have been responded. I will compose an email to my MP if I do not hear back from them this week.

Let’s see if you have any updates.

Thanks
Hi

I have received an update from my MP. She kindly called HO and they only confirmed that I sent them an email in mid July, then it was allocated to a caseworker 5 days later. They could not confirm to her when they will provide me/her with an update. So far they have just acknowledged my email. It is still within the 20-working days windows so I will wait.

In the meantime, I have not received any updates from any of the email addresses even after a chase (furthernationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk, NationalitySupportTeamFMT@homeoffice.gov.uk, NationalityFrontEndTechnicalSpecialists@homeoffice.gov.uk, Citizenship.Support@homeoffice.gov.uk, nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk)

I also sent a physical letter which was received by Nationality team last week. No reply yet.

I am also chasing the Subject Access Requests (SAR) team to provide me with any trace of the letter but it has not been disclosed yet.

Is anyone else still waiting for their ceremony invitation letters with May approval dates?

Hi thanks for the update.

I will contact my MP if I do not hear anything by the end of this week.

In terms of other people waiting their is 1-2 people still waiting in a different forum and they were approved in May too. I think our cases got forwarded to the same case worker who forgot to sent the certificates for printing which has probably caused this issue as now a days people are getting the ceremony and invite at the same time or some people are getting ceremony invite within 2-5 days after approval.

brexitmeansbrexit
Newly Registered
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:54 pm

Re: Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Post by brexitmeansbrexit » Mon Aug 09, 2021 10:27 am

newlondon wrote:
Wed Aug 04, 2021 4:34 pm
brexitmeansbrexit wrote:
Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:50 pm
newlondon wrote:
Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:27 pm
brexitmeansbrexit wrote:
Mon Jul 26, 2021 9:00 am
newlondon wrote:
Sun Jul 25, 2021 4:19 pm
Hi Guys,

Anyone still waiting from mid May approvals or earlier please post your experience as I am still waiting and it is nearly approaching three months to receive the ceremony invitation.

No response to any of the emails sent to different email address so I am unsure what to do next?

@brexitmeansbrexit did you manage to receive the invitation?

Thanks
Hi @newlondon

I have not received my invitation to a ceremony letter yet. I have sent a letter to UKVI to ask for it. I have also sent emails but I am getting no replies back. When I called HO last week, they just confirmed that the ceremony backlog has been apparently cleared so they do not provide those 'batch last sent' updates anymore.

I have contacted my local MP for help. I have not heard back from them. I also raised a SAR request a month ago, which just came back confirming that they have not sent any ceremony letter and there is no update on my case since its approval in late May.

It seems that many applicants now receive a combined approval letter with the ceremony invitation. Our cases seem to have followed the traditional route of sending it separately.

You can try lodging a SAR request about your case (it takes 5weeks approx) and sending a physical letter to UKVI/HO requesting an update.
Hi,

Any new updates from your MP or home office?

I have sent several emails and none of them have been responded. I will compose an email to my MP if I do not hear back from them this week.

Let’s see if you have any updates.

Thanks
Hi

I have received an update from my MP. She kindly called HO and they only confirmed that I sent them an email in mid July, then it was allocated to a caseworker 5 days later. They could not confirm to her when they will provide me/her with an update. So far they have just acknowledged my email. It is still within the 20-working days windows so I will wait.

In the meantime, I have not received any updates from any of the email addresses even after a chase (furthernationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk, NationalitySupportTeamFMT@homeoffice.gov.uk, NationalityFrontEndTechnicalSpecialists@homeoffice.gov.uk, Citizenship.Support@homeoffice.gov.uk, nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk)

I also sent a physical letter which was received by Nationality team last week. No reply yet.

I am also chasing the Subject Access Requests (SAR) team to provide me with any trace of the letter but it has not been disclosed yet.

Is anyone else still waiting for their ceremony invitation letters with May approval dates?

Hi thanks for the update.

I will contact my MP if I do not hear anything by the end of this week.

In terms of other people waiting their is 1-2 people still waiting in a different forum and they were approved in May too. I think our cases got forwarded to the same case worker who forgot to sent the certificates for printing which has probably caused this issue as now a days people are getting the ceremony and invite at the same time or some people are getting ceremony invite within 2-5 days after approval.
Hi,

I just received my invitation letter over the weekend via post and I was able to book my ceremony for this week. I am not sure if it was just the random waiting or my chase via local MP and sending the physical letter to HO helped to chase that. Hope you will receive your invitation letter soon!

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