Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

[standrews]

Hi All,

I'm awaiting my invitation letter from 6 weeks post decision email. Is it worth contacting home office on <citizen.support@homeoffice.gov.uk> to ask about the invitation letter?

Have someone email and got reply from above? also what's the lead time to reply?

Best wishes!

[Malikg123]

I had this reply


Good afternoon,

Thank you for your email.


Although certain local authorities have started to commence some private ceremonies, our policy on individual certificates is they will not be printed and sent to local authorities.
Hopefully full citizenship ceremonies will commence shortly.

Hi All,

I'm awaiting my invitation letter from 6 weeks post decision email. Is it worth contacting home office on <citizen.support@homeoffice.gov.uk> to ask about the invitation letter?

Have someone email and got reply from above? also what's the lead time to reply?

Best wishes!

[standrews]

Thanks for your message. This whole year of mine will always be remembered as British Citizenship, awaiting since January for some magic

I had this reply


Good afternoon,

Thank you for your email.


Although certain local authorities have started to commence some private ceremonies, our policy on individual certificates is they will not be printed and sent to local authorities.
Hopefully full citizenship ceremonies will commence shortly.

Hi All,

I'm awaiting my invitation letter from 6 weeks post decision email. Is it worth contacting home office on <citizen.support@homeoffice.gov.uk> to ask about the invitation letter?

Have someone email and got reply from above? also what's the lead time to reply?

Best wishes!

[jideare]

Apologies for the late reply. I rang up the department and left my details so they can update me. Lovely lady there called to notify me

Lancashire County Council are commencing group ceremonies from tomorrow.

I believe the numbers will be limited however; if in doubt call your council

The only limitation will be they can't book you in if they don't have the right paperwork from the HO

Where did you find out that info? I keep checking their website and it hasn't been updated.

Thanks

[Cost Manager]

Update:

Got a response from my case worker directly. He confirmed the 8-12 weeks timeline aswell.

No luck for us guys. I gave up, all i can do is wait now

[chand92]

Update:

Got a response from my case worker directly. He confirmed the 8-12 weeks timeline aswell.

No luck for us guys. I gave up, all i can do is wait now

Hi, Cost Manager
Thanks for your Update, This 8-12 weeks timeline starts from decision date, received decision email/letter or after lock down ?

Best Regards

[bppartnerclub]

It's from the date when they started printing the certificates again (7th August)

[Cost Manager]

Update:

Got a response from my case worker directly. He confirmed the 8-12 weeks timeline aswell.

No luck for us guys. I gave up, all i can do is wait now

Hi, Cost Manager
Thanks for your Update, This 8-12 weeks timeline starts from decision date, received decision email/letter or after lock down ?

Best Regards

This was his response;

please be assured that our ceremonies and citizenship support team will issue your ceremony invite letter by post within the next 8 – 12 weeks. Upon receipt of the invitation letter, you can make the necessary arrangements with your local authority. You are required to attend a citizenship ceremony within 6 months of the date printed on your ceremony invitation.

[chand92]

It's from the date when they started printing the certificates again (7th August)

Thanks
As i spoke to 03001232253 and lady told me that your 12 weeks completing on 31th of August.
My council have received my certificate but they are not booking me for citizenship ceremony because they asking me to provide Home Office Citizen Ref No and i still have not received the invitation letter from Home Office.
This is a worst year of my life, this British Naturalisation application totally disturbing my life. I feels like a beggar who ask for beg to everybody.

[Wahidwadid]

Same here my frnd chand92,This is your good luck your council got your certificate, But my council Manchester they saying they hv not received any update from HO about certificate after lockdown,But they doing group ceremony 8 ppl in a group max,I feel like my mind in a prison when I m done this CEREMONY, I M RELEASE. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE, THIS BLOODY VIRUS RUINED EVERYONE'S LIFE.

[LiverpoolYNWA]

Has anyone done or is doing their ceremonies in Liverpool (Liverpool City council). Tried contacting them but can't get through.

[Small]

Update:

Got a response from my case worker directly. He confirmed the 8-12 weeks timeline aswell.

No luck for us guys. I gave up, all i can do is wait now
How did you contact your case worker? Email?

[mps75]

Hello:
Anyone that has already recived the invitation letter. Could you let us know if you have to sign in when you get it on the post or it is just normal 1st or 2nd class delivery?

[Cost Manager]

Update:

Got a response from my case worker directly. He confirmed the 8-12 weeks timeline aswell.

No luck for us guys. I gave up, all i can do is wait now
How did you contact your case worker? Email?

I emailed him directly. It took 2 weeks to get a response

[AC12]

Hello:
Anyone that has already recived the invitation letter. Could you let us know if you have to sign in when you get it on the post or it is just normal 1st or 2nd class delivery?

2nd Class, not signed for.
Brown envelope.

[Wahidwadid]

Hi guys, Can anyone tell me i applied by solicitor, So if they send invitation letter r they gonna send it to my address or solicitor.

[Malikg123]

to your solicitor

Hi guys, Can anyone tell me i applied by solicitor, So if they send invitation letter r they gonna send it to my address or solicitor.

[Malikg123]

received response from my local council.

We have received just one batch since march and your certificate was not among them.

anyone please advised my decision was made on 24 march so 8/12 weeks start from decision date or when i actually received it.

thanks

[Frou01]

I can’t believe I work full time in customer service, can go to every shop, eat in restaurants, see gyms being open, flights can be booked and people go on holidays, people who want to sell stuff knock on your door... but councils can’t open and therefore no certificates can get printed?

Birmingham is the second largest city and there might be a lot of people waiting, they haven’t even started with their March backlog yet and say since weeks they would shortly and there might be a few offers for private ceremonies priced £206-235.
That’s a 10 minute event. What justifies this big fee please?
Why put it on people’s shoulders when that’s not their fault?

[Wahidwadid]

to your solicitor

Hi guys, Can anyone tell me i applied by solicitor, So if they send invitation letter r they gonna send it to my address or solicitor.

Tnx malikg123

[lleksi]

Today I’ve got a response from Bromley council:

Good morning,
Thank you for your email.
The Home Office have suspended sending any certificates for the time being.
When they start sending them again – I will be in touch as soon as possible.
Kind regards

My application has been approved on 20 of May.

[Learning18]

I can’t believe I work full time in customer service, can go to every shop, eat in restaurants, see gyms being open, flights can be booked and people go on holidays, people who want to sell stuff knock on your door... but councils can’t open and therefore no certificates can get printed?

Birmingham is the second largest city and there might be a lot of people waiting, they haven’t even started with their March backlog yet and say since weeks they would shortly and there might be a few offers for private ceremonies priced £206-235.
That’s a 10 minute event. What justifies this big fee please?
Why put it on people’s shoulders when that’s not their fault?

At this point I agree.
I have just had a call from the Ukvcas due to the call I made to the home office last week about recieing a generic response. He said "There is no time frame and I can't tell you when you will recieve the invitation letter, you just have to wait for how long it takes. The responses you are getting from the support team are not generic, there are tailored to your case, it is actually a human responding to your case and not a robot". That's all he kept repeating that it is not a generic response, he seemed to be upset about that, that I informed the lady I spoke to that I was getting a generic
response which it was. I got only one response since February which is not generic where they informed me which council my certificate will go to. The rest were the same responses I received before my decision date which is a copy and paste response. I have sent in a complaint and I will be sending another. He called just to tell me not to say it is generic.

" Upon investigation I can confirm that your citizenship ceremony documents have not yet been printed or despatched to the local authority.   Your citizenship paperwork will be generated in coming weeks when current restrictions due to Coronavirus are eased. 

In normal circumstances customers were required to book their citizenship ceremony within three months of being sent an invitation from the Home Office.  Due to the current circumstances we have extended this period to six months. We will keep this under constant review. Please be assured that no adverse decisions will be made on your application because of delays caused by Coronavirus (unless there is a material change in your circumstances, for example, you are convicted of a criminal offence)."

I have seen this response everywhere and so many times.

[Wahidwadid]

Today I’ve got a response from Bromley council:

Good morning,
Thank you for your email.
The Home Office have suspended sending any certificates for the time being.
When they start sending them again – I will be in touch as soon as possible.
Kind regards

My application has been approved on 20 of May.

Now I m confused who's information isn't right, HO or your council ,Then how HO support line telling the time frame and saying they started sending certificate from 7th August.

[Malikg123]

My council said the same thing they only received 1 batch since March 2020. Home Office not printing certificate and dispatching regularly like they used to do before lockdown as far I remember they use to send certificate every week.

Today I’ve got a response from Bromley council:

Good morning,
Thank you for your email.
The Home Office have suspended sending any certificates for the time being.
When they start sending them again – I will be in touch as soon as possible.
Kind regards

My application has been approved on 20 of May.

Now I m confused who's information isn't right, HO or your council ,Then how HO support line telling the time frame and saying they started sending certificate from 7th August.

[Malikg123]

It’s a generic response I received the same email copy and paste. I don’t understand why they not printing certificate most of the Council saying the same thing they not receiving batch regularly. I suggest everyone to make complaint and put pressure on them.

I can’t believe I work full time in customer service, can go to every shop, eat in restaurants, see gyms being open, flights can be booked and people go on holidays, people who want to sell stuff knock on your door... but councils can’t open and therefore no certificates can get printed?

Birmingham is the second largest city and there might be a lot of people waiting, they haven’t even started with their March backlog yet and say since weeks they would shortly and there might be a few offers for private ceremonies priced £206-235.
That’s a 10 minute event. What justifies this big fee please?
Why put it on people’s shoulders when that’s not their fault?

At this point I agree.
I have just had a call from the Ukvcas due to the call I made to the home office last week about recieing a generic response. He said "There is no time frame and I can't tell you when you will recieve the invitation letter, you just have to wait for how long it takes. The responses you are getting from the support team are not generic, there are tailored to your case, it is actually a human responding to your case and not a robot". That's all he kept repeating that it is not a generic response, he seemed to be upset about that, that I informed the lady I spoke to that I was getting a generic
response which it was. I got only one response since February which is not generic where they informed me which council my certificate will go to. The rest were the same responses I received before my decision date which is a copy and paste response. I have sent in a complaint and I will be sending another. He called just to tell me not to say it is generic.

" Upon investigation I can confirm that your citizenship ceremony documents have not yet been printed or despatched to the local authority.   Your citizenship paperwork will be generated in coming weeks when current restrictions due to Coronavirus are eased. 

In normal circumstances customers were required to book their citizenship ceremony within three months of being sent an invitation from the Home Office.  Due to the current circumstances we have extended this period to six months. We will keep this under constant review. Please be assured that no adverse decisions will be made on your application because of delays caused by Coronavirus (unless there is a material change in your circumstances, for example, you are convicted of a criminal offence)."

I have seen this response everywhere and so many times.