What did you provide as a proof of English-language when you submitted your application?
What did you provide as a proof of English-language when you submitted your application?
Okay. When I applied, It had a question to ask whether if English is your first language, When ticked No, It asked me to upload proof of English in the documents section. I applied on 23rd May
They have not contacted me yet.
I have seen in this forum, some who applied in person around same time, their application is already being processed.But not any applications applied online.
They must have changed their process recently or it is inconsistent information.
It depends on who you speak to on the phone. I called them last week and the customer service officer says it is taking 10-11 months.
And they don't tell you what stage your application is at.... They say it is with processing team and not allocated to a case officer yet.
If they need anything the case officer will contact.
From December, Citizenship ceremonies will resume in Auckland and rest of NZ from early 2021.
I reckon we have to wait for the ceremony once citizenship is approved.
There is something strange happening. I know someone who applied in person in Wellington and got their grant approval letter within 2 weeks. I think the Citizenship office is not being forthright with their communication. I had previously called them to ask for appointment dates in other places except Auckland as the wait was too long. They had availability in Wellington but the operator told that there is no advantage to coming to Wellington due to chances of sudden lockdowns. They were suggesting applying online. It seems they have been told to tell anyone who calls to make an online application.
Later when I applied online and called up for a status update they mentioned that is in the queue. I inquired if there were any differences in the processing of online and in person applications. They suggested none.
Clearly with the information posted here and talking to my friends there is a difference. I am thinking of complaining about how these things are being handled. It would be fine if all applications are put in a queue and processed as per their application date. But there is clearly some preference towards in person applications (or the offices), which they do not mention at the time of applications.
Do you know the complaint email for DIA or should I email the Ombudsman?
Check the below link for DIA complaint process:
https://www.dia.govt.nz/Legal-Compla...rocedure-Index
That's a big assumption. Between 1 January and 31 December 2018, 35,737 people were granted New Zealand citizenship. Citizenship Statistics - dia.govt.nz We only have a handful of people posting on the ENZ forum about citizenship applications - with them, added to the number of your friends going through the process, that is going to be only a tiny fraction of all the applications being dealt with right now, not much to generalize from.Clearly with the information posted here and talking to my friends there is a difference.
If you make a complaint, which of course you have the right to do, I think you're likely to be asked for evidence in the form of numbers that can be studied.
Update on my application:
I received an email today from the case officer to confirm my details.
From this, I believe, online applications are taking 6 months to be allocated to a case officer.
Hi Guys,
I applied for online citizenship on May 15th 2020
1st November - case officer emailed to me confirm my address name and dob
10th November - case officer requested a letter from employer or my academic document to prove I have conversational English. I emailed them the documents the same day
25 November 2020 - Just got an email that Citizenship has been approved.