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Overseas Citizeship Ceremony for spouse of citizen
Posted: Wed May 05, 2021 1:41 pm
by Jon_H
Hi there
We have recently applied for Citizenship for my wife (who is Australian) as my spouse. I understand she does not have to intend to live permanently in the UK and we correctly stated our intention to live in Australia on her application. We are now planning to move to Australia in September, and are fully expecting the application to be ongoing at this point, or at best to be waiting for a certificate to arrive / invitation for a ceremony.
My question is how do we go about arranging her citizenship ceremony in Australia? Do we wait until we have the certificate and then ask for the change? Or is there a route before grant.
Thanks
Jon
Re: Overseas Citizeship Ceremony for spouse of citizen
Posted: Wed May 05, 2021 2:33 pm
by secret.simon
The
Gov.UK webpage on citizenship ceremonies states quite flatly that "If you applied for citizenship in the UK, you cannot have your ceremony abroad.".
I suspect that citizenship ceremonies abroad are reserved for spouses of British citizens in Crown Service abroad and people who applied from abroad on Forms T, UKF or UKM, which are the categories that can apply for naturalisation or registration as British citizens from abroad. I am not sure that you can transfer your citizenship ceremony abroad on the fly, after submitting a naturaisation application in the UK.
Nor can you attend the citizenship ceremony from abroad by video-link/virtually.
You can try contacting the British High Commission in Canberra or the relevant Deputy High Commission in the city you will be located closest to, to see what they advise in this situation.
Re: Overseas Citizeship Ceremony for spouse of citizen
Posted: Wed May 05, 2021 4:05 pm
by Jon_H
secret.simon wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 2:33 pm
The
Gov.UK webpage on citizenship ceremonies states quite flatly that "If you applied for citizenship in the UK, you cannot have your ceremony abroad.".
I suspect that citizenship ceremonies abroad are reserved for spouses of British citizens in Crown Service abroad and people who applied from abroad on Forms T, UKF or UKM, which are the categories that can apply for naturalisation or registration as British citizens from abroad. I am not sure that you can transfer your citizenship ceremony abroad on the fly, after submitting a naturaisation application in the UK.
Nor can you attend the citizenship ceremony from abroad by video-link/virtually.
You can try contacting the British High Commission in Canberra or the relevant Deputy High Commission in the city you will be located closest to, to see what they advise in this situation.
Thanks Simon, I feared this was the case. I will indeed contact the Australian high commission. Otherwise we are just going to have to hope things get easier next year travel wise out of Australia.