Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

[Hunter01]

Application approved on 02nd sept.. awaiting ceremony from Westminster council

[Hunter01]

Guys just got an email back from Westminster council that they are receiving a big batch of certificates from home office today (all the approvals from July). And home office told them they would be receiving a deliveries every week now on. As I’m early September approval. Hence I have been told to contact them back by mid November.

[mdiqbal]

Dear all sweet friends,
I think we still have a great hope and want to share a news with you guys... I had a chance to speak with a kind person from UKVI today at 10:15am. The gentleman said we all who have already been granted their citizenship application upto 07/08/2020 will receive the invitation letter. He also added that "wait till coming Saturday" and this is their commitment!!!!. Alhamdulillah, finger-cross....

[Frou01]

Dear all sweet friends,
I think we still have a great hope and want to share a news with you guys... I had a chance to speak with a kind person from UKVI today at 10:15am. The gentleman said we all who have already been granted their citizenship application upto 07/08/2020 will receive the invitation letter. He also added that "wait till coming Saturday" and this is their commitment!!!!. Alhamdulillah, finger-cross....

Yeah, quite a few of us called in the last week getting that information (you can see that a few pages back here).
However when I called last week they said it includes all up to end August, to some they said 7 August.
Unfortunately they give all different information by calling.

[mdiqbal]

Dear all sweet friends,
I think we still have a great hope and want to share a news with you guys... I had a chance to speak with a kind person from UKVI today at 10:15am. The gentleman said we all who have already been granted their citizenship application upto 07/08/2020 will receive the invitation letter. He also added that "wait till coming Saturday" and this is their commitment!!!!. Alhamdulillah, finger-cross....

Yeah, quite a few of us called in the last week getting that information (you can see that a few pages back here).
However when I called last week they said it includes all up to end August, to some they said 7 August.
Unfortunately they give all different information by calling.

True Frou01, but they seem very confident. I thought they will change their policy but they're still stabled on it. Good for all of us. Let's see....

[Soo123]

Hi

Spoke to Hillingdon and Surrey County council they both confirmed that Home office sent an email to them confirming they will get July certificates this week.

Fingers crossed

[mrmo93]

What about mid october?

When will we get the certificates?

[Parisiana]

Guys just got an email back from Westminster council that they are receiving a big batch of certificates from home office today (all the approvals from July). And home office told them they would be receiving a deliveries every week now on. As I’m early September approval. Hence I have been told to contact them back by mid November.

Thanks a lot for the update. What email address is the council using please? I was approved end of August and still waiting for the invitation letter and did not manage to get any update from the Westminster Council.

[baybars1]

What about mid october?

When will we get the certificates?

These are my projections for October, specifically.

Approved on -- Letter date - - - ----Letter arrival, date range------------
01/10/2020 - - - 19/11/2020 - - - from 26/11/2020 - - - to 10/12/2020
08/10/2020 - - - 24/11/2020 - - - from 01/12/2020 - - - to 15/12/2020
15/10/2020 - - - 26/11/2020 - - - from 03/12/2020 - - - to 17/12/2020
22/10/2020 - - - 01/12/2020 - - - from 08/12/2020 - - - to 22/12/2020
29/10/2020 - - - 03/12/2020 - - - from 10/12/2020 - - - to 24/12/2020

[024601]

Postman's been, still nothing.

I have started to email my council daily now, I know how annoying this is but I need someone to realize that there's a person behind that application number and they would need to get a move on. I got a response yesterday saying they haven't received anything, no mention of any emails from the Home Office but that's not surprise because my council is very secretive when people ask questions. I haven't got a response today. MY MP has gone completely quiet even though he said he'll keep me updated weekly.

But I hope since other councils are getting the July certificates, then mine would be getting them too!

[Frou01]

I have emailed my council and wanted to know if they have received certificates again.

However the answer was they don’t have my certificate and they are receiving June certificates.

They don’t really answer the question if they have have received these June certificates this week as exactly this council said a week ago to someone on here they haven’t received certificates since 6 October.

Then there’s a link to HO citizenship departments email to ask them. Which doesn’t help as exactly this ceremony department answers emails after 4-6 weeks!

It’s frustrating.

Heyy yea they told me that

I just called the home office number
I asked will you send it bu end of this week or will we receive it
They replied you will receive it by end of this week
I hope they keep to their words

Might be worth checking with Birmingham again. You’re a July approval, right?

[baybars1]

If we ignore the noise and consider only what the helpline staff have been consistently relaying (they started to clear the backlog on 7 August 2020, their aim was to clear it by 31 October 2020, further revised to the first week of November, and there is the "new standard" 12-week wait time), in my opinion, it follows that their target was to ensure that there wouldn't be any approved applicants who have been waiting longer than 12 weeks for their invitation letter after the revised target date has passed.

Therefore, I would argue that only the applicants approved up until 14 August 2020 should expect to receive their invitations by the end of the next week.

Everyone else would follow thereafter, in more or less ascending date order, with the wait time being gradually reduced from 12 weeks to 1-2 weeks over the next three months.

This assumes that the printing office does not get fully or even partially closed because of the pandemic. It's no small if, though.

[englishcrumpet]

If we ignore the noise and consider only what the helpline staff have been consistently relaying (they started to clear the backlog on 7 August 2020, their aim was to clear it by 31 October 2020, further revised to the first week of November, and there is the "new standard" 12-week wait time), in my opinion, it follows that their target was to ensure that there wouldn't be any approved applicants who have been waiting longer than 12 weeks for their invitation letter after the revised target date has passed.

Therefore, I would argue that only the applicants approved up until 14 August 2020 should expect to receive their invitations by the end of the next week.

Everyone else would follow thereafter, in more or less ascending date order, with the wait time being gradually reduced from 12 weeks to 1-2 weeks over the next three months.

This assumes that the printing office does not get fully or even partially closed because of the pandemic. It's no small if, though.

So @baybars1 you reckon it would be quicker for early Sep. approvals? You sound quite optimistic and so far your estimation was spot on. I was approved 10th of Sep. hopefully, I won't have to wait until mid-December because it's mad

[baybars1]

So @baybars1 you reckon it would be quicker for early Sep. approvals? You sound quite optimistic and so far your estimation was spot on. I was approved 10th of Sep. hopefully, I won't have to wait until mid-December because it's mad

This is my projection for your application:

Approved on -- Letter date - - - ----Letter arrival, date range------------
10/09/2020 - - - 09/11/2020 - - - from 16/11/2020 - - - to 30/11/2020

[englishcrumpet]

So @baybars1 you reckon it would be quicker for early Sep. approvals? You sound quite optimistic and so far your estimation was spot on. I was approved 10th of Sep. hopefully, I won't have to wait until mid-December because it's mad

This is my projection for your application:

Approved on -- Letter date - - - ----Letter arrival, date range------------
10/09/2020 - - - 09/11/2020 - - - from 16/11/2020 - - - to 30/11/2020

Cheers mate, I hope it will arrive in November. Fingers crossed

[imz2020]

Hi All,
Can you advise what's the best e-mail to reach out to HO to expedite receipt of ceremony letter for compassionate reasons?
Many thanks

[HamiltonNZ]

Guys just got an email back from Westminster council that they are receiving a big batch of certificates from home office today (all the approvals from July). And home office told them they would be receiving a deliveries every week now on. As I’m early September approval. Hence I have been told to contact them back by mid November.

Nice one - do let me know when you hear something. I am also waiting for Westminster - I was approved in May (applied early March), so a little puzzled here. Let's see what happens in the coming days.

[Tina22london]

Guys just got an email back from Westminster council that they are receiving a big batch of certificates from home office today (all the approvals from July). And home office told them they would be receiving a deliveries every week now on. As I’m early September approval. Hence I have been told to contact them back by mid November.

Thanks a lot for the update. What email address is the council using please? I was approved end of August and still waiting for the invitation letter and did not manage to get any update from the Westminster Council.

Hi Hunter, many thanks for sharing! I'd be keen on the email address as well please

[RugratsRUs]

Just a bit of (non) update for me. Approved on the 29th of June and still waiting for an invitation letter.

I have not called up my local council yet to see if they received my certificate. They have not updated the information on their citizenship page since July anyway. We are currently under lockdown and I do not know if my council is performing virtual ceremonies and would honestly be surprised if they did as it is a rural council.

[korben555]

Hi.
Biometrics -on 07.08.20
Approval -18.08.20
Before I've found this site( a month ago ), I've written an email to Hounslow council, asking , if they have my certificate.
A kind lady called me on the phone and said that she has checked and nothing on my name.
I had no clue that this is affecting so many people...
So, now only one thing remains - to sing " General postman, bring me a letter ... "

[westerner20]

Guys just got an email back from Westminster council that they are receiving a big batch of certificates from home office today (all the approvals from July). And home office told them they would be receiving a deliveries every week now on. As I’m early September approval. Hence I have been told to contact them back by mid November.

My email approval letter was dated 8 July 2020. Following what is being said here I emailed my Taunton and Somerset council and they confirmed they received my citizenship certificate and have booked the ceremony for me for the 10th of November 2020. However, am still yet to receive the invitation letter from the HO. The council said if the ceremony date arrives before I get my HO invitation letter they will cancel the ceremony.

So I believe the HO is pushing the citizen certificates and invitation letters (still to confirm this) out.

Hopefully waiting like everyone else. This is just to give hope to those who are waiting.

Have a nice day

[Frou01]

Guys just got an email back from Westminster council that they are receiving a big batch of certificates from home office today (all the approvals from July). And home office told them they would be receiving a deliveries every week now on. As I’m early September approval. Hence I have been told to contact them back by mid November.

Do you know by any chance if your certificate just arrived this week?


My email approval letter was dated 8 July 2020. Following what is being said here I emailed my Taunton and Somerset council and they confirmed they received my citizenship certificate and have booked the ceremony for me for the 10th of November 2020. However, am still yet to receive the invitation letter from the HO. The council said if the ceremony date arrives before I get my HO invitation letter they will cancel the ceremony.

So I believe the HO is pushing the citizen certificates and invitation letters (still to confirm this) out.

Hopefully waiting like everyone else. This is just to give hope to those who are waiting.

Have a nice day

[baybars1]

My email approval letter was dated 8 July 2020. Following what is being said here I emailed my Taunton and Somerset council and they confirmed they received my citizenship certificate and have booked the ceremony for me for the 10th of November 2020. However, am still yet to receive the invitation letter from the HO. The council said if the ceremony date arrives before I get my HO invitation letter they will cancel the ceremony.

So I believe the HO is pushing the citizen certificates and invitation letters (still to confirm this) out.

Hopefully waiting like everyone else. This is just to give hope to those who are waiting.

Have a nice day

It's probably too soon to worry, but you can ask them about the certificate's expiry date, i.e. the deadline for your attending the ceremony. It is usually six months after the certificate has been printed, but might be worth finding out how much time there is left for you to receive the invitation letter and attend the ceremony.

[otuel]

Hi,
An update from the Bristol City Council. I called them this morning and:

- They have not received my certificate yet (the citizenship application approved on 22nd of July and I have not received an invitation letter as well),

- I should wait until Monday to see if my invitation letter arrives,

- I was told to give them a ring on Tuesday as they will receive a new batch of the certificates,

- You need an invitation letter to book the citizenship ceremony.

Cheers,
otuel

An update from today:

- No invitation letter,

- Bristol City Council does not have my certificate - I have been advised to give them a call on Friday.

[westerner20]

Guys just got an email back from Westminster council that they are receiving a big batch of certificates from home office today (all the approvals from July). And home office told them they would be receiving a deliveries every week now on. As I’m early September approval. Hence I have been told to contact them back by mid November.

Do you know by any chance if your certificate just arrived this week?


My email approval letter was dated 8 July 2020. Following what is being said here I emailed my Taunton and Somerset council and they confirmed they received my citizenship certificate and have booked the ceremony for me for the 10th of November 2020. However, am still yet to receive the invitation letter from the HO. The council said if the ceremony date arrives before I get my HO invitation letter they will cancel the ceremony.

So I believe the HO is pushing the citizen certificates and invitation letters (still to confirm this) out.

Hopefully waiting like everyone else. This is just to give hope to those who are waiting.

Have a nice day

The certificate arrived today