Citizenship Ceremony cancelled due to Covid-19

[Moha007]

Is it possible for naturalisation to be retrieved once it’s approved due to speeding penalty. As I am waiting for the citizenship ceremony letter.
Approved 22 jan 2021

[Coacoa]

Date on Approval letter: 22 December 2020
Date of receipt of approval: 22 December 2020
Date of receipt of ceremony letter: 13 March 2021
Letter dated: 05 March 2021 (2nd class)
Date of Ceremony: waiting

[N S]

Eligibility criteria:18 years in UK, 7 on ILR Refugee Settlement route
Language/LIUK Criteria: MA/MSc from UK & LIUK pass
Nationality: Zimbabwean
Method of application:Online
Date of application :23 September 2019
Payment method: Visa Debit
Date of acknowledgement: 24 September 2019
Date of debit of fees:24/09/2019
Date of biometric letter received/issued:
Date Biometrics enrolled: 6/October/2019 on the UKVIS paid £60
Emails after emails and complaints to HO
Date on Approval letter: 18 December 2020
Date of receipt of approval: 19 December 2020
Date of receipt of ceremony letter: waiting
Date of Ceremony: waiting

Still waiting for the letter, its now 12 weeks since I received approval letter, anyone in similar circumstances

Have you received your invitation yet.....? my approval is the day as you 19 December 2020 I still haven't receive mine .

[nnn15]

Guys, I am new to forums!

I have got approved in July 2020
I am still waiting for an invitation letter. it has been eight months

Is there anyone same my situation?

Thanks

Hi, I had this problem. Apparently the HO forgot to print the paperwork for some applications. You should call the Home Office helpline and ask them to escalate your case as you've been waiting for 8 months and your invitation letter still hasn't arrived. If they tell you to wait, respond that back in November 2020 the HO confirmed they printed and sent the paperwork for all the applications approved through August 2020. Evidently yours hasn't arrived, so there's been some mistake and if nothing is done, they probably aren't going to work on printing your application. Once your case has been escalated, you should get a confirmation email (I got one within an hour) and they are supposed to respond within 10 working days (I never got a response). If you don't get a confirmation email it probably means they haven't escalated, so you should call the helpline again and convince the agent to escalate.

You should also email Citizenship.Support@homeoffice.gov.uk, NationalitySupportTeamFMT@homeoffice.gov.uk and FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk and ask when your paperwork is going to be printed and sent. In my experience they are very slow in responding (citizenship.support replied to me after 3 months) or don't respond at all, but some people on this forum got responses.

Since the Home Office failed to print and send your paperwork when they were processing applications with similar timelines, you can submit a complaint here https://www.ukvi-complaints.homeoffice.gov.uk/reason. They respond within 20 working days.

If you don't get a reasonable response after trying all the above, you can reach out to your MP, explain that you've tried all the HO support channels to no avail, and then the MP office can submit an enquiry to the Home Office as well. The Home Office is legally obliged to respond to the MPs, so after some time you'll get an answer addressing the details of your case.

Thanks, mate for replying and the help you gave to me, but I have tried all of these above with no response from the OH!
Idk what to do more than that

Have you reached out to your MP and if so, have they replied?

[Simba2021]

Simba2021 wrote: ↑
Wed Mar 10, 2021 12:56 am
Eligibility criteria:18 years in UK, 7 on ILR Refugee Settlement route
Language/LIUK Criteria: MA/MSc from UK & LIUK pass
Nationality: Zimbabwean
Method of application:Online
Date of application :23 September 2019
Payment method: Visa Debit
Date of acknowledgement: 24 September 2019
Date of debit of fees:24/09/2019
Date of biometric letter received/issued:
Date Biometrics enrolled: 6/October/2019 on the UKVIS paid £60
Emails after emails and complaints to HO
Date on Approval letter: 18 December 2020
Date of receipt of approval: 19 December 2020
Date of receipt of ceremony letter: 14 March 2021
Date of Ceremony: waiting

Unlike some of you my journey has been very long. The process took 18months to this stage. Monday morning will start trying to book ceremony. As a refugee, time means nothing in the British immigration system. But patience counts.

[JKAR25142]

Guys, I am new to forums!

I have got approved in July 2020
I am still waiting for an invitation letter. it has been eight months

Is there anyone same my situation?

Thanks

Hi, I had this problem. Apparently the HO forgot to print the paperwork for some applications. You should call the Home Office helpline and ask them to escalate your case as you've been waiting for 8 months and your invitation letter still hasn't arrived. If they tell you to wait, respond that back in November 2020 the HO confirmed they printed and sent the paperwork for all the applications approved through August 2020. Evidently yours hasn't arrived, so there's been some mistake and if nothing is done, they probably aren't going to work on printing your application. Once your case has been escalated, you should get a confirmation email (I got one within an hour) and they are supposed to respond within 10 working days (I never got a response). If you don't get a confirmation email it probably means they haven't escalated, so you should call the helpline again and convince the agent to escalate.

You should also email Citizenship.Support@homeoffice.gov.uk, NationalitySupportTeamFMT@homeoffice.gov.uk and FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk and ask when your paperwork is going to be printed and sent. In my experience they are very slow in responding (citizenship.support replied to me after 3 months) or don't respond at all, but some people on this forum got responses.

Since the Home Office failed to print and send your paperwork when they were processing applications with similar timelines, you can submit a complaint here https://www.ukvi-complaints.homeoffice.gov.uk/reason. They respond within 20 working days.

If you don't get a reasonable response after trying all the above, you can reach out to your MP, explain that you've tried all the HO support channels to no avail, and then the MP office can submit an enquiry to the Home Office as well. The Home Office is legally obliged to respond to the MPs, so after some time you'll get an answer addressing the details of your case.

Thanks, mate for replying and the help you gave to me, but I have tried all of these above with no response from the OH!
Idk what to do more than that

Have you reached out to your MP and if so, have they replied?

Yes, I have but they said I have to wait and they said they know it is frustrating!

[Tyburnia]

Date of Receipt of Approval: 24-Dec-2020
Date on Approval Letter: 24-Dec-2020
Date of Receipt of Ceremony Letter: 14-Mar-2021, dated 5-Mar-2021
Date of Ceremony: virtual ceremony on 18-Mar-2021
Westminster

[sydney19]

So just some information for those who need it !

I received my approval on the 02/12/20

I moved house and redirected my Mail,
After 12 weeks I realised my letter hasn’t arrived I called the home office they said it should have arrived.

I had to go to my old residence. It was there and arrived 2 weeks ago !

Please if you moved after the 12 weeks check your old residence.

Another thing they don’t send your certificate to the council you live in !

Mine was sent to Islington and I lived in Hammersmith before.

I asked Hammersmith Council before I got the letter just to see if there was a mismatch and they hadn’t received it either.

So my advice if you moved check you old house.

Thanks and all the best !

Thanks - meaning you didn’t communicate to home office you moved house ? I was approved 2/2/21 and I have done the Royal Mail redirection- I will be communicating with the people at the old flat . Just curious to know if you reported it to the home office. Thanks

[aseef935]

Just received the invitation for my Virtual Ceremony! Was approved on 29/12/2020. I’m not in the UK at the moment so requested them to postpone my ceremony. Not sure if invitation letter has been delivered to my house or not yet!

[nnn15]

Hi, I had this problem. Apparently the HO forgot to print the paperwork for some applications. You should call the Home Office helpline and ask them to escalate your case as you've been waiting for 8 months and your invitation letter still hasn't arrived. If they tell you to wait, respond that back in November 2020 the HO confirmed they printed and sent the paperwork for all the applications approved through August 2020. Evidently yours hasn't arrived, so there's been some mistake and if nothing is done, they probably aren't going to work on printing your application. Once your case has been escalated, you should get a confirmation email (I got one within an hour) and they are supposed to respond within 10 working days (I never got a response). If you don't get a confirmation email it probably means they haven't escalated, so you should call the helpline again and convince the agent to escalate.

You should also email Citizenship.Support@homeoffice.gov.uk, NationalitySupportTeamFMT@homeoffice.gov.uk and FurtherNationalityEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk and ask when your paperwork is going to be printed and sent. In my experience they are very slow in responding (citizenship.support replied to me after 3 months) or don't respond at all, but some people on this forum got responses.

Since the Home Office failed to print and send your paperwork when they were processing applications with similar timelines, you can submit a complaint here https://www.ukvi-complaints.homeoffice.gov.uk/reason. They respond within 20 working days.

If you don't get a reasonable response after trying all the above, you can reach out to your MP, explain that you've tried all the HO support channels to no avail, and then the MP office can submit an enquiry to the Home Office as well. The Home Office is legally obliged to respond to the MPs, so after some time you'll get an answer addressing the details of your case.

Thanks, mate for replying and the help you gave to me, but I have tried all of these above with no response from the OH!
Idk what to do more than that

Have you reached out to your MP and if so, have they replied?

Yes, I have but they said I have to wait and they said they know it is frustrating!

Tell them there's been a mistake as the Home Office has already confirmed 4 months ago that the paperwork for all applications approved up to August 2020 had been printed and processed. Therefore no one is likely to be working on your application and hence you'd like it to be investigated.

[sitidis]

So just some information for those who need it !

I received my approval on the 02/12/20

I moved house and redirected my Mail,
After 12 weeks I realised my letter hasn’t arrived I called the home office they said it should have arrived.

I had to go to my old residence. It was there and arrived 2 weeks ago !

Please if you moved after the 12 weeks check your old residence.

Another thing they don’t send your certificate to the council you live in !

Mine was sent to Islington and I lived in Hammersmith before.

I asked Hammersmith Council before I got the letter just to see if there was a mismatch and they hadn’t received it either.

So my advice if you moved check you old house.

Thanks and all the best !

Thanks - meaning you didn’t communicate to home office you moved house ? I was approved 2/2/21 and I have done the Royal Mail redirection- I will be communicating with the people at the old flat . Just curious to know if you reported it to the home office. Thanks

Hi no I didn’t communicate this to HO, reason being I didn’t want to wait longer, incase they would take an extra 3 months to post it out to me. I believe yours should arrive on the last week of April or the first week of May. The letter comes in a brown 2nd class envelope.

Keep an eye out for it

Good luck

[stronk]

For anyone still waiting from November, here's what I'm doing in case it's any help.

My approval date was 18 November 2020.

I first wrote to my local council, who said no certificate has been received for me. If you're lucky, they might have received a certificate and they might be one of the councils that doesn't care about the Home Office invitation letter (Wandsworth isn't one of these councils).

Then I wrote to citizenship.support@homeoffice.gov.uk (the contact address in the approval letter PDF) and CT2caseworkenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk (the contact address in the e-mail to which the PDF was attached; presumably you might have a different address in your e-mail as 'CT2' might be a specific team assigned to my application route). The e-mails ask them what the hold up is, referencing other applicants posting on immigration forums who are receiving invitations based on substantially later approval dates.

That was a week ago. I expect I might get a response around the end of May. Since it is probably going to take so long, I have also submitted a complaint using the form here: https://www.gov.uk/complain-uk-visas-immigration. There were no appropriate options in this form, so I chose what seemed to be the nearest appropriate complaint reasons: 'Waiting for a decision or documents' -> 'A decision on an application'.

I used the Home Office Ref # from the approval letter in the form. The text of my complaint was basically:

"I am complaining about the length of time UKVI is taking to print and mail my citizenship certificate and ceremony invitation letter following approval of my naturalisation application on [date]. You can resolve this complaint by sending out the necessary documents for me and my local council (Wandsworth) to complete the citizenship process."

Note that UKVI has a separate complaint form from the general Home Office one, so don't get caught out and have to wait another several months.

I haven't yet tried my MP. I will try them if I don't hear anything (or hear something useless) within 20 working days (morning of 30 March).

Hopefully this will all be unnecessary and I'll receive the letter soon. But if I'm subject to the dreaded 'technical error', the sooner I complain and start the months-long process of getting someone to respond, the better. If you're still waiting based on a mid-November or earlier approval, you might also want to start the process.

I received an invitation letter yesterday (14/3/2021, dated 3/3/2021), following approval on 18/11/2020. So that's nearly 4 months to print out and mail a letter. That's about a month later than expected based on other experiences posted in this thread, but not as long as the small number of people who have been waiting *much* longer than this. My application was based on being married to a British citizen and living in the UK for 5 years on spouse/partner visas prior to ILR. The team dealing with the application was 'CT2'. So perhaps that team is particularly slow? Or perhaps my complaints were seen and my application was found in a dusty box somewhere and progressed. I didn't receive any responses to any of my e-mails.

My advice is to write and complain as soon as you have been waiting for longer than others on this thread (based on approval date), as this just might dislodge your application from wherever it is stuck.

[JKAR25142]

it's all so confusing.. all councils seem to do this differently , some they want the letter. some don't and the HO doesn't help either.
The email that came with my decision letter attached doesn't even have an email to reply to, it says do not reply to that email because it won't be monitored . It's not a CTcasework email either. So I don't have the option to email anyone if I wanted to ask the whereabouts of my invitation letter

The email that you received with your decision letter should have content like this:

Dear xxxxxxxx

This message is to confirm that your application to naturalise as a British Citizen has now been decided. Please find attached information regarding this decision.

This email is intended for xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and if received in error should be deleted immediately. If you have received this email in error, please notify us via CT3CaseworkEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.

Please DO NOT respond to this e-mail as this inbox will not be monitored.

Kind Regards

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mine didn't have the above though. It was pretty much a blank email with the attachment. The only content was:

"This email and any files transmitted with it are private and intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error please return it to the address
it came from telling them it is not for you and then delete it from your system.
This email message has been swept for computer viruses."

Right, try sending an email to CT3 or CT4, maybe they direct to the right department

Hi Teedee
if you do not mind me asking have you tried to send an email to CT3 OR CT4 my problem same as yours?
Thanks

[Teedee]

Reading your update made me optimistic - my approval date is 15/12/2020 so expecting invitation letter soon. I wish there was a helpline where we can call and push for the update, their email address is just non responsive like other home office departments

Mine is the 03/12/2020. Sent an email to HO in January and was advised they’ll respond in 20 working days. It has been over 20 working days now, no response. I hear their deadline is 12 weeks, well, mine will be 12 weeks next Wednesday so I really hope I receive my invitation this week. Reached out to Hampshire council on Monday and they confirmed they still do not have my paperwork from HO. So frustrating

Update!!!

God did it!!! I have just received my invitation letter from HO! Finally!!! Timelines below:

Application date - 30/09/2020
Biometrics - 28/10/2020
Approval email received - 03/12/2020
Invitation letter received - 27/02/2021

Will be contacting Hampshire council on Monday for my virtual ceremony. Hang in there guys, yours is coming soon! See you all on the passport thread x

I don't know how I landed with PORTSMOUTH ceremonies office. Their information was included in my ceremony invitation letter so I called them this morning to arrange my ceremony. I must have mistakenly selected them during my Naturalisation application. I was told they do not offer virtual ceremony and I have to wait till the 13th of April for a 1:1 ceremony. Another waiting game

Following confirmation from Portsmouth council that the earliest ceremony date was the 13th of April, I started calling them every week to see if they could squeeze me in earlier. I called them on Friday 5th March and was told they were currently looking into marriages and deaths but they'll see what they can do the following week. That day, I received an email from them stating they had 2 slots the following week: Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th, went for the former. Did my 1:1 ceremony on Wednesday, collected my certificate, started my British passport application the same day and uploaded my photo using my phone. Identity verification was done on Thursday 11th and I sent my documents off on Friday 12th. Good luck everyone

[JKAR25142]

you still have to wait for the physical letter on the post? why not the pdf they sent you?

I'm not sure because my council hasn't received my certificate either. I had mentioned this in the email, now even if i assume the pdf is enough, they still want me to wait for the certificate to come in to the council

it's all so confusing.. all councils seem to do this differently , some they want the letter. some don't and the HO doesn't help either.
The email that came with my decision letter attached doesn't even have an email to reply to, it says do not reply to that email because it won't be monitored . It's not a CTcasework email either. So I don't have the option to email anyone if I wanted to ask the whereabouts of my invitation letter

Something worth trying: Your approval letter should have details of the department that worked on your application. This should be at the end of the letter, the signature basically. Mine is CT4.

Can you replace this email (CT3CaseworkEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk) with the department info? For instance, if I wanted to contact them for mine, I would use CT4CaseworkEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk

Hope it makes sense

Hi there
I have tried this email and I got a reply (Undeliverable:)!!
I put my department instead of CT4, I put this CT6CaseworkEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk?!
Is this should be right?
Thanks

[Teedee]

The email that you received with your decision letter should have content like this:

Dear xxxxxxxx

This message is to confirm that your application to naturalise as a British Citizen has now been decided. Please find attached information regarding this decision.

This email is intended for xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and if received in error should be deleted immediately. If you have received this email in error, please notify us via CT3CaseworkEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.

Please DO NOT respond to this e-mail as this inbox will not be monitored.

Kind Regards

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mine didn't have the above though. It was pretty much a blank email with the attachment. The only content was:

"This email and any files transmitted with it are private and intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error please return it to the address
it came from telling them it is not for you and then delete it from your system.
This email message has been swept for computer viruses."

Right, try sending an email to CT3 or CT4, maybe they direct to the right department

Hi Teedee
if you do not mind me asking have you tried to send an email to CT3 OR CT4 my problem same as yours?
Thanks

Hi JKAR25142, no I didn't as I wasn't aware of this at the time. I did send emails to HO via nationalityenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk and citizenship.support@homeoffice.gov.uk - this was way back in January and I had no response! I also contacted my MP who submitted an Enquiry on my behalf. I received my ceremony invitation around 2 weeks after.

[Teedee]

I'm not sure because my council hasn't received my certificate either. I had mentioned this in the email, now even if i assume the pdf is enough, they still want me to wait for the certificate to come in to the council

it's all so confusing.. all councils seem to do this differently , some they want the letter. some don't and the HO doesn't help either.
The email that came with my decision letter attached doesn't even have an email to reply to, it says do not reply to that email because it won't be monitored . It's not a CTcasework email either. So I don't have the option to email anyone if I wanted to ask the whereabouts of my invitation letter

Something worth trying: Your approval letter should have details of the department that worked on your application. This should be at the end of the letter, the signature basically. Mine is CT4.

Can you replace this email (CT3CaseworkEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk) with the department info? For instance, if I wanted to contact them for mine, I would use CT4CaseworkEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk

Hope it makes sense

Hi there
I have tried this email and I got a reply (Undeliverable:)!!
I put my department instead of CT4, I put this CT6CaseworkEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk?!
Is this should be right?
Thanks

I guess the logic didn't work then I honestly don't know how else you can proceed.

[fruitcake]

Date on Approval letter: 14 December 2020
Date of receipt of approval: 14 December 2020
Date of receipt of ceremony letter: 09 March 2021
Letter dated: 26 Feb 2021 (2nd class)
Date of Ceremony: waiting (Luton Borough Council)

I have tried calling Luton Borough Council, however it is on permanent answer machine stating that they are only responding via email.

I have sent them an email to confirm whether they have received my certificate and to book a private ceremony. Still waiting to get a reply.

On the website they state that :

'You will receive a letter from the Home Office to confirm that you can book your citizenship ceremony. The Home office will notify us and we will write to you directly to confirm the date and time of the ceremony which we have booked you on. You do not need to contact us to confirm unless you wish to change this to a private ceremony.'

Hope they reply back soon and not another 4 or 6 week wait....

[JKAR25142]

Thanks, mate for replying and the help you gave to me, but I have tried all of these above with no response from the OH!
Idk what to do more than that

Have you reached out to your MP and if so, have they replied?

Yes, I have but they said I have to wait and they said they know it is frustrating!

Tell them there's been a mistake as the Home Office has already confirmed 4 months ago that the paperwork for all applications approved up to August 2020 had been printed and processed. Therefore no one is likely to be working on your application and hence you'd like it to be investigated.

Yeah, I will try this Thanks Thanks Thanks for the help, to be honest, I've got depression and anxiety because. and I may do repeat uni year that bad my situation is

[Bazaar]

Anyone with Hounslow council? Have you booked a ceremony recently and how long are they making you wait to have the ceremony ?

[N S]

update Finally received invitation letter

Approved - 19 December 2020 pdf email
Invitation received - 13th march 2021 printed date 2th march 2021
citizenship application made through Solicitor UKVI Sent invitation letter to my solicitor

Remember if you Applied through solicitor invitation will be sent to your solicitor check with you solicitor
good luck those who's still waiting

[nnn15]

Have you reached out to your MP and if so, have they replied?

Yes, I have but they said I have to wait and they said they know it is frustrating!

Tell them there's been a mistake as the Home Office has already confirmed 4 months ago that the paperwork for all applications approved up to August 2020 had been printed and processed. Therefore no one is likely to be working on your application and hence you'd like it to be investigated.

Yeah, I will try this Thanks Thanks Thanks for the help, to be honest, I've got depression and anxiety because. and I may do repeat uni year that bad my situation is

I understand this causes a lot of distress. But your application has been approved, so it's just an admin mistake.
Follow up on all the channels, communicate it's some mistake on the Home Office side as they've confirmed it's done but you still haven't received any paperwork, so it needs to be investigated and further wait won't change anything.
Out of all the channels the MP is probably the most powerful one. And do submit complaints at the HO website.

[Prilip]

Hi everyone
finally I got an invitation
approval 30/12/20
citizenship invitation recived 16/03/21
citizenship ceremony booked on 28/04/21
Council Hillingdon

Good luck to everyone who is waiting.

[sanich]

So just some information for those who need it !

I received my approval on the 02/12/20

I moved house and redirected my Mail,
After 12 weeks I realised my letter hasn’t arrived I called the home office they said it should have arrived.

I had to go to my old residence. It was there and arrived 2 weeks ago !

Please if you moved after the 12 weeks check your old residence.

Another thing they don’t send your certificate to the council you live in !

Mine was sent to Islington and I lived in Hammersmith before.

I asked Hammersmith Council before I got the letter just to see if there was a mismatch and they hadn’t received it either.

So my advice if you moved check you old house.

Thanks and all the best !

Hi sitidis,

How did you get in touch with HO? what number did you call? Thank you.

[Jawad566]

Hi everyone
finally I got an invitation
approval 30/12/20
citizenship invitation recived 16/03/21
citizenship ceremony booked on 28/04/21
Council Hillingdon

Good luck to everyone who is waiting.

What date is on invitation letter ??