Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

[024601]

Southampton council, approved on 13.07

Postman's been...no invitation letter.

[justaquery]

Called Bristol council today, they said they had received a batch of certificates yesterday. She said they are expecting another one on Wednesday next week and to call and check on Thursday. Things are picking up pace now.

Amazing, did they say what approval date they received, also what is their number? Can you share please? I can only find the email address and i prefer to just call them instead

Their number is ‭0117 922 2800‬ (option 3 I think for ceremonies). They didn’t tell me what approval dates they have received till but the lady was very helpful and if you give your details she will check if your certificate has arrived. She also seemed very confident that another delivery of certificates is coming next week too alongside the one this week.

Thank you!! Did you receive invitation/booked the ceremony? My approval was end of September so I won’t be waiting for my invitation just yet, but nice to hear that things started to move

I haven’t received it yet, I am end of Sep approval too (23 Sep) so it will probably be another 3-4 weeks before we are likely to get anything. However, I try to get an update from the council every 2 weeks so I know that things are moving forward (and looks like they finally are). Another forum member from Bristol had their certificate delivered to the council before the invitation was received, given that the HO sends invitation letters by second class, I feel it’s more likely that the council will get our certificate a week or two before we get the invitation.

[lmannova]

Anybody from Greenwich here and waiting? I called today and spoke with a helpful chap who looked on the system but my name hasn't been logged on the system yet. There also seems to be some form of division of labour where phone enquiries are dealt with by general Registrar staff rather than those who have direct dealings with the Citizenship side of things. My approval date was 31/07 and this week marks the 12th week "upper limit" according to Home Office.

I am with the Greenwich council! Finally somebody. I was approved on 20th July and still nothing..

I called the council on Monday and the guy didn't really answer any of my questions.. Kept saying he doesn't have access to the things I was asking, like when was the last time they received any certificate, etc. HO said we should receive an ivitation by end of October but honestly I lost hope..

Oh you are 20/7 - that means the backlog is massively behind their promised timeline. Greenwich folks seem to be trooping on under the radar anyway as I think I saw somewhere on this thread that ceremonies are now lined up to December (and that was weeks ago), unless we go private And I have a feeling we spoke to either the same person / team...

Btw direct phone number to Grenwich council regitrar is 0208 921 8880 [was in the last email from Greenwich council]. I just spoke to a lovely lady who confirmed they just received big batch of certificates and are just putting them in the system. She couldn't confirm anything for me specifically as it wouldn't be in the system yet but asked me to call back on Monday to see whether my certificate is there. Apparently to whoever I spoke to before was just somebody from call center [that's why I couldn't get any answer before haha].

In the email from week ago they said group ceremony is available form begining of December and private one in the upcoming weeks so it looks like I will go for a private one then.

[oxana777]

Amazing, did they say what approval date they received, also what is their number? Can you share please? I can only find the email address and i prefer to just call them instead

Their number is ‭0117 922 2800‬ (option 3 I think for ceremonies). They didn’t tell me what approval dates they have received till but the lady was very helpful and if you give your details she will check if your certificate has arrived. She also seemed very confident that another delivery of certificates is coming next week too alongside the one this week.

Thank you!! Did you receive invitation/booked the ceremony? My approval was end of September so I won’t be waiting for my invitation just yet, but nice to hear that things started to move

I haven’t received it yet, I am end of Sep approval too (23 Sep) so it will probably be another 3-4 weeks before we are likely to get anything. However, I try to get an update from the council every 2 weeks so I know that things are moving forward (and looks like they finally are). Another forum member from Bristol had their certificate delivered to the council before the invitation was received, given that the HO sends invitation letters by second class, I feel it’s more likely that the council will get our certificate a week or two before we get the invitation.

Thank you for the info! Im 24th sept so we should receive our letters and have ceremonies at around the same time! Let’s keep each other informed! Not many people from Bristol on here!

[Small]

Good Morning All,

First i would like to thank Allah the most gracious the most merciful.
Second the Moderators and all of you.

I just had my ceremony without the invitation letter at Hammersmith and Fulham Council and I'm officially British.

My timeline.
Applied 6th December 2019
Approved 29 June 2020 via post
Received decision 2nd July 2020
Got email to send my contact details 29th October 2020
Attended ceremony without invite today 30th October 2020

Goodluck my dear friends and a special thanks to Baybar1

This is great news congratulations.
Did they ask you at ceremony about invitation letter? Because one of my friends got his ceremony booked today but he has not got invitation letter from HO yet. Many thanks

[jefoy22123]

Hi all,

Is there anyone with Camden?
I was approved on 20 July - still nothing.

[rayyfar]

Approved 23 july
Birmingham council
No news as of yet
Sent email to council Wednesday and today no reply yet

Just got off the phone from a home office helpline

They said they were told we should get it by this week and that there is still tommorow

She also me tioned they are waiting for an update from home office

And i recieve nothing then i can call back some time next week for an update

Good luck to us all

[BoyTed]

Good Morning All,

First i would like to thank Allah the most gracious the most merciful.
Second the Moderators and all of you.

I just had my ceremony without the invitation letter at Hammersmith and Fulham Council and I'm officially British.

My timeline.
Applied 6th December 2019
Approved 29 June 2020 via post
Received decision 2nd July 2020
Got email to send my contact details 29th October 2020
Attended ceremony without invite today 30th October 2020

Goodluck my dear friends and a special thanks to Baybar1

This is great news congratulations.
Did they ask you at ceremony about invitation letter? Because one of my friends got his ceremony booked today but he has not got invitation letter from HO yet. Many thanks

Hello Small,
They said it's okay and just asked for my id.

[deoliveira]

Anybody from Greenwich here and waiting? I called today and spoke with a helpful chap who looked on the system but my name hasn't been logged on the system yet. There also seems to be some form of division of labour where phone enquiries are dealt with by general Registrar staff rather than those who have direct dealings with the Citizenship side of things. My approval date was 31/07 and this week marks the 12th week "upper limit" according to Home Office.

I am with the Greenwich council! Finally somebody. I was approved on 20th July and still nothing..

I called the council on Monday and the guy didn't really answer any of my questions.. Kept saying he doesn't have access to the things I was asking, like when was the last time they received any certificate, etc. HO said we should receive an ivitation by end of October but honestly I lost hope..

Oh you are 20/7 - that means the backlog is massively behind their promised timeline. Greenwich folks seem to be trooping on under the radar anyway as I think I saw somewhere on this thread that ceremonies are now lined up to December (and that was weeks ago), unless we go private And I have a feeling we spoke to either the same person / team...

Btw direct phone number to Grenwich council regitrar is 0208 921 8880 [was in the last email from Greenwich council]. I just spoke to a lovely lady who confirmed they just received big batch of certificates and are just putting them in the system. She couldn't confirm anything for me specifically as it wouldn't be in the system yet but asked me to call back on Monday to see whether my certificate is there. Apparently to whoever I spoke to before was just somebody from call center [that's why I couldn't get any answer before haha].

In the email from week ago they said group ceremony is available form begining of December and private one in the upcoming weeks so it looks like I will go for a private one then.

Now THAT is reassuring news! Thanks for sharing. I will also call on Monday to check in. Fingers crossed the batch covers all of July, but who knows. Do you intend to ask for a slot in the diary without having the invitation letter? I think there might be a good chance (again, depends on who you speak to over the phone really) that you will let you?

[moh12]

I telephoned Bradford Council today and they mentioned having receiving a batch from Home Office and it seems my wife's will be in there. However they need sort through them it seems. With West Yorkshire heading into Tier 3 the adviser mentioned they are waiting to see what will happen and whether ceremonies will continue. More waiting then.

[ASRC]

Anyone waiting for a ceremony in West Sussex?

[TheTraveller]

Is there anyone received the ceremony invitation from July approvals ?

[minikube]

Still waiting end of May approval

[justaquery]

Their number is ‭0117 922 2800‬ (option 3 I think for ceremonies). They didn’t tell me what approval dates they have received till but the lady was very helpful and if you give your details she will check if your certificate has arrived. She also seemed very confident that another delivery of certificates is coming next week too alongside the one this week.

Thank you!! Did you receive invitation/booked the ceremony? My approval was end of September so I won’t be waiting for my invitation just yet, but nice to hear that things started to move

I haven’t received it yet, I am end of Sep approval too (23 Sep) so it will probably be another 3-4 weeks before we are likely to get anything. However, I try to get an update from the council every 2 weeks so I know that things are moving forward (and looks like they finally are). Another forum member from Bristol had their certificate delivered to the council before the invitation was received, given that the HO sends invitation letters by second class, I feel it’s more likely that the council will get our certificate a week or two before we get the invitation.

Thank you for the info! Im 24th sept so we should receive our letters and have ceremonies at around the same time! Let’s keep each other informed! Not many people from Bristol on here!

Definitely. Bristol shouldn’t have as big of a backlog as London, Birmingham, Manchester etc, so I’m hoping that as long as the HO keeps sending the certificates regularly, the council should be able to get through the back log fairly quickly.

[Ailed]

Hi everyone

I also contacted my local (Slough Borough) Council yesterday and was told HO has sent them an email confirming that they will receive the certificates for July approvals by next week. I was approved on 31st ofJuly so let’s hope for the best

Thanks for the update. I’m with Slough Council too. 2nd of July approval. I’ll ring them tomorrow (Friday) and check if they’ve arrived. Will keep you posted.

Callled them today and the very nice lady there confirmed they’ve got my certificate, they have received a big batch yesterday.
However, they won’t book you for the ceremony without the invitation. Hopefully I’ll get it in the next few days.
They do ceremonies every week, 10 min slot, 1 person only, no guests allowed.
Good luck to all of us, things have started to move again.

[Maria2020]

Good Morning All,

First i would like to thank Allah the most gracious the most merciful.
Second the Moderators and all of you.

I just had my ceremony without the invitation letter at Hammersmith and Fulham Council and I'm officially British.

My timeline.
Applied 6th December 2019
Approved 29 June 2020 via post
Received decision 2nd July 2020
Got email to send my contact details 29th October 2020
Attended ceremony without invite today 30th October 2020

Goodluck my dear friends and a special thanks to Baybar1

This is great news congratulations.
Did they ask you at ceremony about invitation letter? Because one of my friends got his ceremony booked today but he has not got invitation letter from HO yet. Many thanks

Hello Small,
They said it's okay and just asked for my id.

Congratulations Boyted!!!

Did you pay for a private ceremony?

H&F Council just replied saying they have also received my certificate, and they have asked for my contact details, hoping they call me soon.

Maria

[mdiqbal]

Good Morning All,

First i would like to thank Allah the most gracious the most merciful.
Second the Moderators and all of you.

I just had my ceremony without the invitation letter at Hammersmith and Fulham Council and I'm officially British.

My timeline.
Applied 6th December 2019
Approved 29 June 2020 via post
Received decision 2nd July 2020
Got email to send my contact details 29th October 2020
Attended ceremony without invite today 30th October 2020

Goodluck my dear friends and a special thanks to Baybar1

This is great news congratulations.
Did they ask you at ceremony about invitation letter? Because one of my friends got his ceremony booked today but he has not got invitation letter from HO yet. Many thanks

Great to know dear BoyTed,

The problem is, whenever I am trying to book for ceremony, they ask me the citizenship number starting with A123456. I can't book myself online though and they also said they can't book me in without the invitation letter. How did you book dear?

[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.

Hi all,
As advised I called the council today, but this time I did not get an update regarding my certificate. They asked me if my invitation letter has arrived. I said no, so I was told that an invitation letter comes at the same time as the certificate and if I have not received a letter yet, they do not have my certificate.

Anyway, 12 weeks period since approval has passed on 14th of October. I am waiting until next Wednesday, 4th of November (15 weeks period) and if there is no invitation letter, it is time to call Home Office to chase it.

otuel

[Padus]

Stockport council.

My partner and I were approved on 7th of July, and have had nothing but radio silence since then :\
The phone number of the register office is always ringing, with no one picking up the phone.

We're slowly running out of time to book the ceremony, and by all calculations on here, we should have received our invitation by now!

Is there anyone in a similar situation with any advice to dish out? Anything helps, as I'm starting to panic here!

Kind regards!

I'm in ROCHDALE and haven't heard a thing since I was approved 15 weeks ago in mid-July. I've not tried contacting the council either but will be after invitation letter arrives, which by the look of things should be by end of next week, fingers crossed! Anyone else in Rochdale?

It's happening guys! Just received an invitation from the council by post to attend the ceremony on 11 Nov.
They will require the H/O invitation letter and photo ID. I'm pretty sure I'll have received H/O invitation before then.

[Nat23]

Hi everyone

I also contacted my local (Slough Borough) Council yesterday and was told HO has sent them an email confirming that they will receive the certificates for July approvals by next week. I was approved on 31st ofJuly so let’s hope for the best

Thanks for the update. I’m with Slough Council too. 2nd of July approval. I’ll ring them tomorrow (Friday) and check if they’ve arrived. Will keep you posted.

Callled them today and the very nice lady there confirmed they’ve got my certificate, they have received a big batch yesterday.
However, they won’t book you for the ceremony without the invitation. Hopefully I’ll get it in the next few days.
They do ceremonies every week, 10 min slot, 1 person only, no guests allowed.
Good luck to all of us, things have started to move again.

Congratulations to you
I called them too.. they haven’t received my certificate yet. Told me to call next Friday, when they receive the next batch of certificates.

[BoyTed]

Good Morning All,

First i would like to thank Allah the most gracious the most merciful.
Second the Moderators and all of you.

I just had my ceremony without the invitation letter at Hammersmith and Fulham Council and I'm officially British.

My timeline.
Applied 6th December 2019
Approved 29 June 2020 via post
Received decision 2nd July 2020
Got email to send my contact details 29th October 2020
Attended ceremony without invite today 30th October 2020

Goodluck my dear friends and a special thanks to Baybar1

This is great news congratulations.
Did they ask you at ceremony about invitation letter? Because one of my friends got his ceremony booked today but he has not got invitation letter from HO yet. Many thanks

Hello Small,
They said it's okay and just asked for my id.

Congratulations Boyted!!!

Did you pay for a private ceremony?

H&F Council just replied saying they have also received my certificate, and they have asked for my contact details, hoping they call me soon.

Maria

Hi Maria,
Thanks for the good wishes yes i paid £109 but they offered me next week Wednesday free group ceremony i went for private instead.
Congrats to you.

[BoyTed]

Good Morning All,

First i would like to thank Allah the most gracious the most merciful.
Second the Moderators and all of you.

I just had my ceremony without the invitation letter at Hammersmith and Fulham Council and I'm officially British.

My timeline.
Applied 6th December 2019
Approved 29 June 2020 via post
Received decision 2nd July 2020
Got email to send my contact details 29th October 2020
Attended ceremony without invite today 30th October 2020

Goodluck my dear friends and a special thanks to Baybar1

This is great news congratulations.
Did they ask you at ceremony about invitation letter? Because one of my friends got his ceremony booked today but he has not got invitation letter from HO yet. Many thanks

Great to know dear BoyTed,

The problem is, whenever I am trying to book for ceremony, they ask me the citizenship number starting with A123456. I can't book myself online though and they also said they can't book me in without the invitation letter. How did you book dear?

Hello Mdiqbal,
Our council H&F does not have online checking systems we communicated via email.

Worth mentioning the Naturalisation certificate has one numbers as reference it's the number that i had when i applied for Naturalisation so try that.
Goodluck.

[Dorota01]

I just called the Home Office and they told me that I should wait until this evening to get my invitation letter. When I told him that there is no more post today (postman comes around 1 pm), he told me to wait until tomorrow max and if still nothing, then Home Office advice is to email citizenship.support@homeoffice.gov.uk for an update. I also called Croydon Council, they haven't received my certificate yet. Standard advice: wait for the invitation letter to arrive and call five days after that. On a positive note, Croydon Council hasn't got any delays regarding the ceremonies and do them as soon as they get the certificates from the HO. Yeah.. I guess time to get on with my life and stop worrying about the ceremony. I get that some people have their reasons to worry but in my case, no significant urgency. However, it would be nice to finish the process finally. Thank you guys for all the updates

[TheTraveller]

Is there anyone here dealing with Kingston Council ?

[Jil20]

Is there anyone received the ceremony invitation from July approvals ?

Hi,

Unfortunatly I haven't received anything. My approval was on 7th July. I hope to get an invitation in November. It is so anoying. I don't undestand why they can't to send those invitations by email for online applications at last.