Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

Hi everyone,
Just like everyone else here I am waiting for the golden brown envelope with the invitation. I was approved on the 19th of October and still waiting to receive the letter. I have moved from London to Leeds since then and changed my address using the official website. Although I’ve changed it my approval letter was addressed to my old house in London which is really frustrating. So at the moment I am in the loop keeping in touch with my old flat mates and very anxious to hear if the letter was received there. I suppose if it does get there my citizenship ceremony will be still in London? I do not wanna email the Home Office to ask for a transfer of ceremony as I believe it would only make things worse and wait will be even longer. anyone on here finding themselves in a similar situation?

alexdreame wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 2:01 pm

Hi everyone,
Just like everyone else here I am waiting for the golden brown envelope with the invitation. I was approved on the 19th of October and still waiting to receive the letter. I have moved from London to Leeds since then and changed my address using the official website. Although I’ve changed it my approval letter was addressed to my old house in London which is really frustrating. So at the moment I am in the loop keeping in touch with my old flat mates and very anxious to hear if the letter was received there. I suppose if it does get there my citizenship ceremony will be still in London? I do not wanna email the Home Office to ask for a transfer of ceremony as I believe it would only make things worse and wait will be even longer. anyone on here finding themselves in a similar situation?

Your Ceremony will be in the council you selected when you made the application. You didn't mention which council but yes, it must be one of those many councils in London

so777 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 12:44 pm

naruto wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 12:12 pm

so777 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 11:45 am

One more- happy update.

Although last week around the 14th I got an email saying my invitation hasn't been printed yet- I just received it!

Approval date: 1 October
Ceremony invitation letter dated 7 December
Arrived: 21 December

Earliest ceremony for Barnet - 25th of February! WHY!

No private ceremonies at the moment either. Gutted.

Congratulations mate

I was approved on October too and still no invitation letter I’m also with Barnet council

Fingers crossed that we get this done ASAP

perhaps we'll have a ceremony together! If there's any room left on the 25th.. They said only 15 can join each ceremony and they had two available on the 25th - 10am and 1pm. Good luck!

Yes mate fingers crossed thank you

However keep chasing the council incase someone will cancel their ceremony or you get lucky somehow. At least you’ve got it now
All the best mate

dragon098 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 2:11 pm

alexdreame wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 2:01 pm

Hi everyone,
Just like everyone else here I am waiting for the golden brown envelope with the invitation. I was approved on the 19th of October and still waiting to receive the letter. I have moved from London to Leeds since then and changed my address using the official website. Although I’ve changed it my approval letter was addressed to my old house in London which is really frustrating. So at the moment I am in the loop keeping in touch with my old flat mates and very anxious to hear if the letter was received there. I suppose if it does get there my citizenship ceremony will be still in London? I do not wanna email the Home Office to ask for a transfer of ceremony as I believe it would only make things worse and wait will be even longer. anyone on here finding themselves in a similar situation?

Your Ceremony will be in the council you selected when you made the application. You didn't mention which council but yes, it must be one of those many councils in London

Adding on: If you even think/attempt to change the council now, given the covid times, it will be a real nightmare. Keep in touch with your old flat mates and arrange a ceremony at your council you selected when you submitted your application.

Bikerboy86 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 1:58 pm

NinashK wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 1:36 pm

Hi

Just an update, I have just received my HO letter by post this morning 21 December 2020.
Date on letter: 15 December 2020.

Hope all those waiting will receive good news soon.

Congratulations Nina, what's your timeline if you don't mind sharing!

Hi bikerboy86

My timeline

Application 27 may 202
Biomatric 27th August 2020
Approval Email 7th October 2020
Council letter received 19th December 2020
Home office invitation letter today dated 15 dec.2020.

Oops as I said on my first update on this forum that home office is a whole mess. Received my invitation letter today. Just as I was going to bin the brown envelope I saw another letter in there.

It was another invitation letter to one Walter B from Wandsworth. Fortunately for him his home address is on the letter so will mail it to him tomorrow.

So it could be that some of your letter have been received by others What a system.

I am so happy for those who are getting their letters finally after such a nightmare wait
and for us who are still waiting, hang in there strong we are

NinashK wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 3:49 pm

Oops as I said on my first update on this forum that home office is a whole mess. Received my invitation letter today. Just as I was going to bin the brown envelope I saw another letter in there.

It was another invitation letter to one Walter B from Wandsworth. Fortunately for him his home address is on the letter so will mail it to him tomorrow.

So it could be that some of your letter have been received by others What a system.

OMG I can't believe this! Someone posted that physical letters are being sent instead of emails for security reasons...

CULLINAN wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 3:38 pm

dragon098 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 2:11 pm

alexdreame wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 2:01 pm

Hi everyone,
Just like everyone else here I am waiting for the golden brown envelope with the invitation. I was approved on the 19th of October and still waiting to receive the letter. I have moved from London to Leeds since then and changed my address using the official website. Although I’ve changed it my approval letter was addressed to my old house in London which is really frustrating. So at the moment I am in the loop keeping in touch with my old flat mates and very anxious to hear if the letter was received there. I suppose if it does get there my citizenship ceremony will be still in London? I do not wanna email the Home Office to ask for a transfer of ceremony as I believe it would only make things worse and wait will be even longer. anyone on here finding themselves in a similar situation?

Your Ceremony will be in the council you selected when you made the application. You didn't mention which council but yes, it must be one of those many councils in London

Adding on: If you even think/attempt to change the council now, given the covid times, it will be a real nightmare. Keep in touch with your old flat mates and arrange a ceremony at your council you selected when you submitted your application.

Hey, thank you so much for the quick reply. I thought so. Thats why I thought to dont make it more difficult for me. I asked for my ceremony to be in Westminster. I will keep you updated on my timeline. Thank you so much for your help.

8th October Approval Here ,Called the Home office help line today and l was told they have just finished september,So october should be Coming in the next few weeks. Very frustrating!!

Kratosan wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 5:46 pm

8th October Approval Here ,Called the Home office help line today and l was told they have just finished september,So october should be Coming in the next few weeks. Very frustrating!!

Hi,
Could you please tell me what number did you use to call them ?
Thanks.

CULLINAN wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 9:36 am

Nature11 wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 20, 2020 1:14 pm

CULLINAN wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 20, 2020 1:34 am

CULLINAN wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 20, 2020 1:25 am

Cullinan wrote:

If one has to pay £250, rather pay earlier than later.. hope they offer me an earlier slot to make the money worth spent!!

off course , inform them if any cancellation come up before your date please contact.

Hello @Nature11. I contacted them. They said no earlier date is available as of now but I have left a note in case any cancellation comes up they might contact me.
Also, they did not give any indication of ceremony cancellation in Tier4. As I said previously, your ceremony on 23rd Dec should go ahead as planned. Good luck.

Hi @CULLINAN , Update :I have got call from council they have changed physical ceremony to virtual one. same date and time...

Just receieved my invitattion letter.
My timeline

Date of application: 03/07/2020
Approval email: 05/10/2020
Invitattion letter : 21/12/2020 dated 14/12/2020

Luton council

I just received my invitation for Citizenship Ceremony from Home Office by Royal Mail

Approval by email : 02/10/2020
Invitation Letter date : 08/12/2020
Invitation letter received by post : 21/12/2020

Anyone with Ealing council ? Do I have to wait for them now to send me a letter inviting me for the ceremony ?

askmeplz82 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:07 pm

I just received my invitation for Citizenship Ceremony from Home Office by Royal Mail

Approval by email : 02/10/2020
Invitation Letter date : 08/12/2020
Invitation letter received by post : 21/12/2020

Anyone with Ealing council ? Do I have to wait for them now to send me a letter inviting me for the ceremony ?

No, you have already received that now. Simply contact the council as the letter instructs.

Nature11 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 6:53 pm

Hi @CULLINAN , Update :I have got call from council they have changed physical ceremony to virtual one. same date and time...

Thank you for the useful update. Did you ask them why? Was it due to Tier 4? How will your certificate be sent? Via post? Please keep me updated with your experience on 23rd Dec. And what about the £250 payment? They took over the phone? Thank you.

Hi everyone, hope everyone is keeping safe. So my timeline

Online application: July 16th
Email approval: Oct 01st
No invitation email or letter received.
Certificate received at Bexley council on Dec 18th and booked a private ceremony on Dec 19th. I was in touch with the council for the past 6 weeks, so they let us know straight away when the certificate arrived. They are good folks at the Bexley council, may God Bless you and for everyone on this forum, I wish you a Merry Christmas and Bright and covid free, 2021.

CULLINAN wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:31 pm

Nature11 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 6:53 pm

Hi @CULLINAN , Update :I have got call from council they have changed physical ceremony to virtual one. same date and time...

Thank you for the useful update. Did you ask them why? Was it due to Tier 4? How will your certificate be sent? Via post? Please keep me updated with your experience on 23rd Dec. And what about the £250 payment? They took over the phone? Thank you.

Does this also mean Hounslow council has reverted to Virtual Ceremonies now permanently? Or only due to Tier 4 and only for private ceremonies? Or for group ceremonies also? I know too many questions too early to ask but if you have any information please do share. Thanks.

More areas in England could be placed into Tier 4 restrictions - equivalent to a lockdown - as the variant COVID strain spreads across the country, the government's chief scientific adviser has suggested.

Probably this could affect the pace especially group ceremonies.

CR001 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:20 pm

askmeplz82 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:07 pm

I just received my invitation for Citizenship Ceremony from Home Office by Royal Mail

Approval by email : 02/10/2020
Invitation Letter date : 08/12/2020
Invitation letter received by post : 21/12/2020

Anyone with Ealing council ? Do I have to wait for them now to send me a letter inviting me for the ceremony ?

No, you have already received that now. Simply contact the council as the letter instructs.

But this on their website . So I am confused

CULLINAN wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:31 pm

Nature11 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 6:53 pm

Hi @CULLINAN , Update :I have got call from council they have changed physical ceremony to virtual one. same date and time...

Thank you for the useful update. Did you ask them why? Was it due to Tier 4? How will your certificate be sent? Via post? Please keep me updated with your experience on 23rd Dec. And what about the £250 payment? They took over the phone? Thank you.

Wow! The least they can do after your payment is to bring it backwards with the ceremony being virtual. It'll be unfair for them to charge at this point.

CULLINAN wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:31 pm

Nature11 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 6:53 pm

Hi @CULLINAN , Update :I have got call from council they have changed physical ceremony to virtual one. same date and time...

Thank you for the useful update. Did you ask them why? Was it due to Tier 4? How will your certificate be sent? Via post? Please keep me updated with your experience on 23rd Dec. And what about the £250 payment? They took over the phone? Thank you.

They have changed because of Tier 4 restrictions and I did not ask for group ceremonies. Now they are charging £150 and yes they will take payment on phone and also certificate will be delivered by post within 3-5 working days. I will update you my experience...

Nature11 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:23 pm

CULLINAN wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:31 pm

Nature11 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 6:53 pm

Hi @CULLINAN , Update :I have got call from council they have changed physical ceremony to virtual one. same date and time...

Thank you for the useful update. Did you ask them why? Was it due to Tier 4? How will your certificate be sent? Via post? Please keep me updated with your experience on 23rd Dec. And what about the £250 payment? They took over the phone? Thank you.

They have changed because of Tier 4 restrictions and I did not ask for group ceremonies. Now they are charging £150 and yes they will take payment on phone and also certificate will be delivered by post within 3-5 working days. I will update you my experience...

Thank you for sharing. Mine is scheduled for mid Jan so I will have to wait till they contact me for a virtual ceremony. Also, looks like hounslow has reverted to virtual ceremony now (at least for private). Hounslow did not have any virtual ceremony previously even in Nov lockdown. Tier 4 is equivalent to Nov lockdown. Good luck and will look forward to hear your experience. I hope they push my date back and I get an earlier slot for virtual ceremony also instead waiting till mid Jan. Just today, they replied they do not have any cancellations but I understand its a new change, so possibly coming days might see an expedition for private ceremonies carried virtually instead. Time will tell.

nnn15 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:42 pm

NinashK wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 3:49 pm

Oops as I said on my first update on this forum that home office is a whole mess. Received my invitation letter today. Just as I was going to bin the brown envelope I saw another letter in there.

It was another invitation letter to one Walter B from Wandsworth. Fortunately for him his home address is on the letter so will mail it to him tomorrow.

So it could be that some of your letter have been received by others What a system.

OMG I can't believe this! Someone posted that physical letters are being sent instead of emails for security reasons...

how a letter can be sent for security reason when they don't even send it recorded delivery. I prefer an email, letters can be lost

askmeplz82 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:12 pm

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CR001 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:20 pm

askmeplz82 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:07 pm

I just received my invitation for Citizenship Ceremony from Home Office by Royal Mail

Approval by email : 02/10/2020
Invitation Letter date : 08/12/2020
Invitation letter received by post : 21/12/2020

Anyone with Ealing council ? Do I have to wait for them now to send me a letter inviting me for the ceremony ?

No, you have already received that now. Simply contact the council as the letter instructs.

But this on their website . So I am confused

Hi

Congratulations for receiving your invitation. I’m from Ealing as well. I haven’t received my ceremony invitation yet but I contacted Ealing Council many times. You have to wait for them to send you a letter for group ceremony date and time according to their website if you want a group ceremony.

Don’t worry about their website if you want a private ceremony. You can contact them in 2 ways: 1. Filling their online form which they will email you back. 2. Call them and leave a voicemail which they will call you back.

Even you may contact them for group ceremony before you receive a letter from them via those 2 ways if you want to have your ceremony ASAP.

I’ve been approved on 5th November after 13 months and now I’m waiting for my invitation since then.

Please let me know if you get any information from them.