Naturalisation - Form 8 - in the post! small concern

[v emmy]

I posted my application yesterday(Hooray! Hooray!), by registered post, signature required, and I also got a proof of posting (proof of the address that it was sent to). So the process begins for me. At the mo' it's languishing in Portlaoise for the weekend.

I've another nit-picky concern:
As page 8 of Form 8 is in the same pdf document, and thus part of Form 8, I assume we are required to include it with our application.

• Regarding "ENCLOSED ALL DOCUMENTATION REQUESTED IN THIS FORM....[box]"-
  • I ticked all relevant boxes in the list under that statement. However, I neglected to tick that "over-all" box next to that statement.
    It will be interesting to see if my application is kicked back due to this oversight.
    
    Has anyone run up against anything as pedantic as that and had an application returned for such a small thing?

I'm not going to fret about it. I'll know in two weeks or so, but just curious...

They don't actually say either in the form itself or in the "Guidance Note" to include the page, whereas with planning applications, some counties DO instruct you to enclose the "tick the boxes" page with the application. (I think it is my experience with planning applications which has made me so paranoid about the miniscules of this application. I've been scarred. ha.)

I am trying to have faith in basic human kindness and common sense that my teeny-tiny omission will be acceptable and ignored.

[victor8600]

... I'm not going to fret about it. I'll know in two weeks or so, but just curious......

Don't worry, it'll be grand. At worst, you will lose 2-3 weeks, which, compared to the 3-4 years you will be waiting for a decision is really a small change.

[scrudu]

Speaking from personal experience, if they deem it to be incorrectly completed they will send it back. My husband submitted his application last week and it was returned this week because on the Spousal Affidavit, the witness (solicitor) didn't complete his "Title" in the title box. Instead he stamped the form below the signature area and this stamp contained his title

Infuriating and so pointless. So, we now have to get the form refilled out again as they've highlighted the first form.

[v emmy]

Thanks, scrudu. Sorry to hear that. Did they send the whole thing back to you? Or just the application? Did you still get a reference number?

Will you have to re-submit the whole thing all over again and get your certifiable certifieds certified again??? All those copieeeeessssss????

Ah well... If that's the case, I hope they will send it back quickly, so I can tick the box and turn it around quickly.

I hope my solicitor did everything right on the declaration page.

I am leaving the country to spend Christmas w/ my mother on the 19 - 3 whole weeks- and if that bit is true about interpreting "CONTINUOUS reckonable residence" is being interpreted as not leaving the country for any reason during the year prior to application, I'll be sunk if I can't get it sent before the 19th.

Sending the applications back is job security for the workers in INIS, so I'll just expect mine to come back.

I hope you will answer my questions.
Thanks again for your personal experience with this sort of thing!

[scrudu]

hi there,

They sent the whole lot back. No reference number was given. We'll submit the whole lot back to them. They also attached a standard form which listed the various criteria that an application could be refused for. The ones we boo-booed were checked. The criteria on that list were as follows:

Statutory Declaration:
[] The applicant must be a) personally known to the solicitor/notary public/commissioner for oaths, b) identified to the solicitor/notary public/commissioner for oaths, c) identified by passport/travel document
[] The statutory declaration must be witnessed and signed on the same date

Affidavit
[] Affidavit must be signed by al parties on the same date, that being the same date or later date than the statutory declaration is signed
[] The Irish spouse must be known to the person before whom it is being sworn or the relevant section completed by a person known to both parties

General Queries
[] All copies of () birth certificates, () marriage certificates, () divorce papers, () spouse's birth certificate, () spouses death certificate, translations, () Irish born children birth certificates lodge must be certified as being true copies of the original document by a solicitor/notary public/commissioner for oaths,
[] Please complete attached birth/marriage affidavit
[] Please complete highlighted areas on application form
[] Please submit copy of all pages of your previous/current passport
[] Please submit school letters from each school you attended showing date of enrollment & periods of attendance
[] Please submit a copy of your parent previous/current passport
[] Please submit proof of residence in the state amounting to () months including one years continuous residence prior to the date of application / for the period ___ to ___ . Please submit three different proofs for each year (e.g. bank statements, utility bills etc.)
[] Please submit documentation showing your Irish association/decent as stated in question 13 of your application form
[] Other

It's just a pity that they didn't include all this information on the Application form in the first place!!!!

They attached a form that needs to be sent back called "Residence Schedule 2" which lists the months of residency in each year while married to the Irish spouse.

I hope that is not true about the 12 mths continuous residency. My husband and I have taken a few trips out of the country this year so if that rule is true then he's shagged also.

[v emmy]

Thanks for that. I hope all my stupid questions will end up providing helpful information for other people too.

That form is interesting! Yes, amazing that they don't just ask for the stuff from the outset. I hope you scanned that and didn't go to the trouble to transcribe all of it!!

I hope they don't ask for my parents' passports. My father is dead and my mother's expired about 10-15 yrs ago. But I'm also applying only on the basis of residency.

God, I hope mine makes it through, but if that new "continuous" interpretation rumour is true, with the luck I've had lately, they'll kick it back and I won't have time to get it back to them before I leave on the hols.

Do you have to re-copy all your originals and get them re-certified???? Or did they return them in re-usable condition? (Planning permissions used to come back with every page stamped so we'd have to re do the whole lot... fortunately they changed a rule on that!)

We might know tomorrow or Friday from MRCI whether or not the "continuous reckonable residency" is being interpreted in a new way, even though it would not stand up in court... at least not from my grammatical viewpoint -- plus how they emphasize that it is the permission to remain GNIB stamps that are the primary basis for establishing residency. Just hard to know. Cat and mouse game.

Good luck getting yours turned around and re-submitted. At least they got back to you quickly. I hope they will be as polite to me.

Where do we go to add to your spreadsheet? Do you want us to tell you when we sent/they received? Do you ask our country of origin? I'd be curious to know the success failure rates on different nationalities.

[scrudu]

No, I copied it down from the form they sent out. I think that that form is just a generic form that they tick off any issues and send back to people, and not necessarily that each person has to submit all documents. As you are applying on your own residency you wouldn't likely have to provide your parents passports. I guess that field would be ticked for a minor applying for citizenship.

Fingers crossed if they see a problem with your application they'll send it back soon. It was only 3 working days after it was received in Tipperary that they returned my husband's one. I'm thrilled they sent it back to quickly rather than sit on it for such a trivial issue!

They returned everything in a re-usable form. Only the application form had stamps on it so we'll have to complete a new one with a solicitor/justice of the peace.

The spreadsheet is at http://www.editgrid.com/user/scrudu/citizenship_apps and you can add your details to either the Citizenship or Residency Stamps tab depending on which you applied for. You can see from the 124 people's details already there how long it's taking. From what I can see, applications submitted prior to 2007 (i.e. Dec 2006 and earlier) took/are taking an inordinate amount of time (27 up to 53 months). This seems to have dropped for later applications down to 15-30 mths. You can filter by each field so you can see different views, e.g. how long it's taking for a particular Grounds of Application, or by Country of applicant, or by date of application.

[linn]

Sorry, I have posted my question here:
http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=48344

[v emmy]

Thank you again, scrudu, for helpful information. I'll see if i can navigate the spreadsheet.

I hope your solicitor will not charge you for re-doing that page since it was his/her error! My declaration page looks like it's very thoroughly correctly filled out, so I hope no probs there.

Fingers crossed for quick response here. That is GREAT that they turned yours around in 3 days. At least someone in there is working efficiently. Maybe everyone is, and just the system in place is so inefficient and cumbersome. The people at upper levels (the ones making policy etc) probably haven't a clue. Typical of every government (local/national/state/county/province) any place in the world with which I am familiar! And we have to remember, we are at the bottom of the list of priorities..... immigrants.