Upcoming Ceremony in 2023/4

[sv23367]

Any news about the upcoming ceremony in Dec?

if they are planning to conduct in the 1st week of Dec (4/5), notification should come out this week? i am going by the time taken for OCt ceremony. 3.5 weeks gap between notification and ceremony date?

Oct ceremony date : 02/10
notification on the website: 06/09

[Yk_Krsh]

no news, but it should be either this or next week, I'd say

[Balea]

I've just got an email from the citizen department (their November update) and they mention:

"Additional Ceremonies

We recognise the importance of giving applicants more opportunities to attend Citizenship Ceremonies to complete their naturalisation. So far this year we have held 10 ceremonies. We plan on holding another seven ceremonies this year on December 18th and 19th in the Convention Centre in Dublin. Invites for these ceremonies will issue closer to the time."

[Fred13]

I've just got an email from the citizen department (their November update) and they mention:

"Additional Ceremonies

We recognise the importance of giving applicants more opportunities to attend Citizenship Ceremonies to complete their naturalisation. So far this year we have held 10 ceremonies. We plan on holding another seven ceremonies this year on December 18th and 19th in the Convention Centre in Dublin. Invites for these ceremonies will issue closer to the time."

I got the email too however, I have not received my decision yet but I completed all the steps of eVetting already some months ago and I wonder if I might be invited for the ceremony? It seems a bit unfair for people who want to travel and don't know whether they are going to get invited or not to plan their trips... Well it could always be a lot worse....

[Leo99]

I too got the email. At least they are giving some updates now

[Leo99]

I've just got an email from the citizen department (their November update) and they mention:

"Additional Ceremonies

We recognise the importance of giving applicants more opportunities to attend Citizenship Ceremonies to complete their naturalisation. So far this year we have held 10 ceremonies. We plan on holding another seven ceremonies this year on December 18th and 19th in the Convention Centre in Dublin. Invites for these ceremonies will issue closer to the time."

I got the email too however, I have not received my decision yet but I completed all the steps of eVetting already some months ago and I wonder if I might be invited for the ceremony? It seems a bit unfair for people who want to travel and don't know whether they are going to get invited or not to plan their trips... Well it could always be a lot worse....

Email your TD and put pressure

[Balea]

I've just got an email from the citizen department (their November update) and they mention:

"Additional Ceremonies

We recognise the importance of giving applicants more opportunities to attend Citizenship Ceremonies to complete their naturalisation. So far this year we have held 10 ceremonies. We plan on holding another seven ceremonies this year on December 18th and 19th in the Convention Centre in Dublin. Invites for these ceremonies will issue closer to the time."

I got the email too however, I have not received my decision yet but I completed all the steps of eVetting already some months ago and I wonder if I might be invited for the ceremony? It seems a bit unfair for people who want to travel and don't know whether they are going to get invited or not to plan their trips... Well it could always be a lot worse....

I'm in the same situation.... I got my e-vetting disclosed couple of months ago. I would like to believe that they might be making their numbers and having us in the parking lot for December ceremony and they are focusing now on sorting more people out and then send a batch of approval letters requiring payment in the upcoming weeks. Who knows...

[LuciaK]

Have you finished the payment process as well?

[Yksl]

Did anyone who paid, payment was processed? My wife paid 10 days ago and form still in submitted state

On the same boat. I paid on the 10th Oct and yet no update.

Same timeline and haven't received payment processed email yet. Did you receive anything since your last post?
So far I was receiving quarterly update emails and today I didn't receive it, which is also weird.

[Fred13]

I've just got an email from the citizen department (their November update) and they mention:

"Additional Ceremonies

We recognise the importance of giving applicants more opportunities to attend Citizenship Ceremonies to complete their naturalisation. So far this year we have held 10 ceremonies. We plan on holding another seven ceremonies this year on December 18th and 19th in the Convention Centre in Dublin. Invites for these ceremonies will issue closer to the time."

I got the email too however, I have not received my decision yet but I completed all the steps of eVetting already some months ago and I wonder if I might be invited for the ceremony? It seems a bit unfair for people who want to travel and don't know whether they are going to get invited or not to plan their trips... Well it could always be a lot worse....

Email your TD and put pressure

I did, what they answered her was exactly the thing that they replied to myself. Absoulouty nothing new ...now i feel guilty that I wasted my TD's time by asking her to send an email to them and etc....

[Fred13]

Have you finished the payment process as well?

No, because they didn't ask me to pay yet. I have not recieved any acceptance letter. I finished the whole eVetting in mid july, since then nothing...

[logicalthinker52]

Have you finished the payment process as well?

No, because they didn't ask me to pay yet. I have not recieved any acceptance letter. I finished the whole eVetting in mid july, since then nothing...

I guess you will soon receive an approval letter by post, then you can pay online.

[Bluebird71]

I've just got an email from the citizen department (their November update) and they mention:

"Additional Ceremonies

We recognise the importance of giving applicants more opportunities to attend Citizenship Ceremonies to complete their naturalisation. So far this year we have held 10 ceremonies. We plan on holding another seven ceremonies this year on December 18th and 19th in the Convention Centre in Dublin. Invites for these ceremonies will issue closer to the time."

I got the email too however, I have not received my decision yet but I completed all the steps of eVetting already some months ago and I wonder if I might be invited for the ceremony? It seems a bit unfair for people who want to travel and don't know whether they are going to get invited or not to plan their trips... Well it could always be a lot worse....

I did not receive this communication ? My application has been "approved" and my certificate fee processed and I emailed the department today and they told me that no dates have been confirmed for ceremonies today. I am a little concerned on the mixed messaging ?

[Balea]

Have you finished the payment process as well?

No, because they didn't ask me to pay yet. I have not recieved any acceptance letter. I finished the whole eVetting in mid july, since then nothing...

I'm in the same situation but I finished my e-vetting in August

[User20123]

Have you finished the payment process as well?

No, because they didn't ask me to pay yet. I have not recieved any acceptance letter. I finished the whole eVetting in mid july, since then nothing...

I'm in the same situation but I finished my e-vetting in August

I am the same. Evetting process completed in August and have been on standby since then. As per the email, over 3000 decisions are due to issue for 2021 and 2022. I hope we are in the lot!!

[Fred13]

Have you finished the payment process as well?

No, because they didn't ask me to pay yet. I have not recieved any acceptance letter. I finished the whole eVetting in mid july, since then nothing...

I'm in the same situation but I finished my e-vetting in August

I am the same. Evetting process completed in August and have been on standby since then. As per the email, over 3000 decisions are due to issue for 2021 and 2022. I hope we are in the lot!!

I asked a couple of friends who have received their acceptance letter and paid the fee and they didn't receive the yesterday's quarterly email by citizenship office. Apparently a large number of people have already paid the fee and waiting for ceremony and didn't receive the email yesterday. This could mean that people who have not recieved the acceptance letter and did not pay the fee will not be among those to be naturalized in Dec. I hope I am wrong thos.

[Leo99]

Have you finished the payment process as well?

No, because they didn't ask me to pay yet. I have not recieved any acceptance letter. I finished the whole eVetting in mid july, since then nothing...

I'm in the same situation but I finished my e-vetting in August

I am the same. Evetting process completed in August and have been on standby since then. As per the email, over 3000 decisions are due to issue for 2021 and 2022. I hope we are in the lot!!

I asked a couple of friends who have received their acceptance letter and paid the fee and they didn't receive the yesterday's quarterly email by citizenship office. Apparently a large number of people have already paid the fee and waiting for ceremony and didn't receive the email yesterday. This could mean that people who have not recieved the acceptance letter and did not pay the fee will not be among those to be naturalized in Dec. I hope I am wrong thos.

Nope, the ones who didn't get will be the ones who are gonna attend. My wife applied in July this year and got it. Just acknowledgement. Are you saying she's gonna get her approval before Dec?

[sv23367]

Can some one share the screenshot of the mail sent by Department of Justice mentioning the upcoming ceremony details?

[lxk]

Can some one share the screenshot of the mail sent by Department of Justice mentioning the upcoming ceremony details?

Text from email with underlining and bold added by me.

08 November 2023
Dear Customer,

Thank you for your continued patience while we work through the current backlog of Citizenship applications.

Following the most recent Citizenship Ceremonies, I am writing to provide an update on how we continue to improve the application process.

Citizenship Division understands how delays in processing can have an impact on the lives of our applicants and we want to assure you that we are doing everything possible to remove the current backlog of files which are a legacy of the pandemic.

Below is an update on the current file processing status:

Update on eVetting progress

Citizenship Division continues to work through a high volume of eVetting submissions. In June of this year we wrote to 13,000 applicants and provided them with eVetting links. Since then nearly 9,000 have been processed. This is significant progress and the division is on course to have the remainder complete before the end of the year allowing us to issue decisions on these Citizenship applications in 2023. If you have filled in your eVetting form we would like to assure you that we have the information and our teams are working on it and we aim to have it completed by the end of the year.

Additional Ceremonies
We recognise the importance of giving applicants more opportunities to attend Citizenship Ceremonies to complete their naturalisation. So far this year we have held 10 ceremonies. We plan on holding another seven ceremonies this year on December 18th and 19th in the Convention Centre in Dublin. Invites for these ceremonies will issue closer to the time.

Customer Service
We are committed to improving our customer service and we again recognise it can be frustrating for applicants when they experience delays with processing. Citizenship is doing everything possible to speed up the process. Where possible we do respond to customer queries.

The nature of the naturalisation process is that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take considerable time. As a result of this we are not in a position to be able to provide updates on individual applications. Areas where you should contact customer service is when you change your address. It is also important that you keep your email address up to date as this is how the majority of communications is now issuing from Citizenship.

While we value feedback from our customers the volume of requests we receive means we ask that you only contact us if it is absolutely necessary. This will allow us to dedicate as many resources as possible to reducing our current backlog.

Further digitisation of our services

In the last couple of weeks Citizenship Division moved from paper based applications to online forms for all new applications. This move, coupled with the previous move to eVetting and online payments means new applications can now be done 100% paperless and online.

The new online forms will make the process easier for customers, allowing them to easily fill in the relevant forms, upload the required documents, make payments and submit. The forms will provide a seamless application process and will help guide applicants through what is required for an application.

The end result of the digitisation process will be the freeing up of more staff to focus on processing applications in a timely and efficient manner, improving service to our customers and reducing waiting times.

Please note: work is ongoing for the development of an online form for Minor applications (form 11). Once this is complete a digital option will be made available. Paper based applications can still be made if applicants wish to.

Kind Regards,

Darragh Brennan
Head of Citizenship Division

[Fred13]

Have you finished the payment process as well?

No, because they didn't ask me to pay yet. I have not recieved any acceptance letter. I finished the whole eVetting in mid july, since then nothing...

I'm in the same situation but I finished my e-vetting in August

I am the same. Evetting process completed in August and have been on standby since then. As per the email, over 3000 decisions are due to issue for 2021 and 2022. I hope we are in the lot!!

I asked a couple of friends who have received their acceptance letter and paid the fee and they didn't receive the yesterday's quarterly email by citizenship office. Apparently a large number of people have already paid the fee and waiting for ceremony and didn't receive the email yesterday. This could mean that people who have not recieved the acceptance letter and did not pay the fee will not be among those to be naturalized in Dec. I hope I am wrong thos.

Nope, the ones who didn't get will be the ones who are gonna attend. My wife applied in July this year and got it. Just acknowledgement. Are you saying she's gonna get her approval before Dec?

If you look at the email, there is a diagram (which is not readable easily). The diagram has 4 sections. The third section is for applicants who are in the process of their eVetting or finished it and waiting to get their acceptance letter. The fourth section is for people who have already paid the fee and received the acceptance letter and below the fourth section it says: 7 additional ceremonies are to be held in December. If any logic exist in that email it implies that the 7 ceremonies will be for the people in section four (those who have received their acceptance and paid the fee, Grant.)

[sv23367]

Thank you lxk for sharing the mail

[Leo99]

No, because they didn't ask me to pay yet. I have not recieved any acceptance letter. I finished the whole eVetting in mid july, since then nothing...

I'm in the same situation but I finished my e-vetting in August

I am the same. Evetting process completed in August and have been on standby since then. As per the email, over 3000 decisions are due to issue for 2021 and 2022. I hope we are in the lot!!

I asked a couple of friends who have received their acceptance letter and paid the fee and they didn't receive the yesterday's quarterly email by citizenship office. Apparently a large number of people have already paid the fee and waiting for ceremony and didn't receive the email yesterday. This could mean that people who have not recieved the acceptance letter and did not pay the fee will not be among those to be naturalized in Dec. I hope I am wrong thos.

Nope, the ones who didn't get will be the ones who are gonna attend. My wife applied in July this year and got it. Just acknowledgement. Are you saying she's gonna get her approval before Dec?

If you look at the email, there is a diagram (which is not readable easily). The diagram has 4 sections. The third section is for applicants who are in the process of their eVetting or finished it and waiting to get their acceptance letter. The fourth section is for people who have already paid the fee and received the acceptance letter and below the fourth section it says: 7 additional ceremonies are to be held in December. If any logic exist in that email it implies that the 7 ceremonies will be for the people in section four (those who have received their acceptance and paid the fee, Grant.)

Ohh. Yeah. Apologies. I read the last sentence wrong in your initial reply. You are right 3000 decisions and they will be for sure in one of 7 ceremonies in december. Which will get rid of all 2021 applicants. Yellow image says, currently processing files received 2022 and later and expects most 2022 decisions by end of the year. So a spring ceremony will take care of some 2022 applicants

[lxk]

If you look at the email, there is a diagram (which is not readable easily). The diagram has 4 sections. The third section is for applicants who are in the process of their eVetting or finished it and waiting to get their acceptance letter. The fourth section is for people who have already paid the fee and received the acceptance letter and below the fourth section it says: 7 additional ceremonies are to be held in December. If any logic exist in that email it implies that the 7 ceremonies will be for the people in section four (those who have received their acceptance and paid the fee, Grant.)

This is my interpretation of the text in the diagram -
Stage 1: Registration: If you applied recently you are at this stage
If enough information has not been provided we will have to write to you
Delays in providing required information will delay your application
Stage 2: Review: Applications received in 2023 are currently at this stage
These applications are expected to begin transitioning to final processing from January 2024
Stage 3: Final processing: Currently processing files received in 2022 & older
Expected to make decisions on the vast majority before end of the year
Footnote: Every application is different. If your application has been on hand for a longer duration please bear with us . We are trying to progress all files as quickly as possible
Stage 4: Grant: Over 3,000 decisions due to issue in the coming days for 2021 & 2022 files
Footnote: 7 Additional Citizenship Ceremonies to be held in December

[Balea]

No, because they didn't ask me to pay yet. I have not recieved any acceptance letter. I finished the whole eVetting in mid july, since then nothing...

I'm in the same situation but I finished my e-vetting in August

I am the same. Evetting process completed in August and have been on standby since then. As per the email, over 3000 decisions are due to issue for 2021 and 2022. I hope we are in the lot!!

I asked a couple of friends who have received their acceptance letter and paid the fee and they didn't receive the yesterday's quarterly email by citizenship office. Apparently a large number of people have already paid the fee and waiting for ceremony and didn't receive the email yesterday. This could mean that people who have not recieved the acceptance letter and did not pay the fee will not be among those to be naturalized in Dec. I hope I am wrong thos.

Nope, the ones who didn't get will be the ones who are gonna attend. My wife applied in July this year and got it. Just acknowledgement. Are you saying she's gonna get her approval before Dec?

If you look at the email, there is a diagram (which is not readable easily). The diagram has 4 sections. The third section is for applicants who are in the process of their eVetting or finished it and waiting to get their acceptance letter. The fourth section is for people who have already paid the fee and received the acceptance letter and below the fourth section it says: 7 additional ceremonies are to be held in December. If any logic exist in that email it implies that the 7 ceremonies will be for the people in section four (those who have received their acceptance and paid the fee, Grant.)

True. I didn't realised about that detail. The diagram is pretty hard to read in fairness. It says "Over 3000 decisions due to issue in the coming days for 2021 and 2022 files". That give me some hope... We will then continue to wait....

[lxk]

I can't get my head around the email and diagram from Darragh Brennan, Head of Citizenship Division.
The figures from Deputy James Browne last month were -
11,974 applications received in 2021
9,185 have received a decision to date
17,177 applications from 2022
4,074 have received a decision to date
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/de ... 3-10-11/8/

That means almost 3,000 from 2021 and almost 13,000 from 2022 were still to have decisions. Plus any applications from 2020 and earlier.

If they are working in order of applications they will be clearing the 2021 backlog in December and still have about 13,000 to clear from 2022. As Leo99 said "a spring ceremony will take care of some 2022 applicants".

Going back to Darragh Brennan's email. He said that "the division is on course to have the remainder [of 13,000 eVettings] complete before the end of the year allowing us to issue decisions on these Citizenship applications in 2023."

But this won't all be for 2022 applicants. Many will be for 2021 and earlier.

Unless I have got the figures wrong the email is an admission that the backlog will not be cleared in 2024.
Which begs the question "Why are they reviewing 2023 applications and expect to begin transitioning to final processing from January 2024 when the Minister of Justice has repeatedly maintained that applications are dealt with in chronological order?"