I think i will send it to my mo as wellCocobana wrote: ↑Mon Nov 02, 2020 1:36 pmI very much like your response, points of which I agree and I am thinking of copying it and sending to my mp, I also think we should create a petition to digitise the citizenship ceremony and certificate which will be debated on parliament if it receives 10000 signatures.Waitingagain wrote: ↑Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:49 pmI’ve sent the following to my MP after they responded with HO’s generic response last week:
Thank you for your response below. Unsurprisingly, many councils have already stated that they won’t be providing ceremonies during the upcoming lockdown and I think a fairly safe assumption is that the printing of certificates will stop as well.
I follow a forum, with people in a similar position to me, and the number of worrying mental health statements being made is very concerning.
There is an assumption that it’s just an administrative task and that people aren’t really affected by waiting at this last administrative hurdle, but I can vouch for anyone that it affects your mental wealth significant not knowing when you will finally have the ability to apply for a passport.
Personally, I have spent an enormous amount of money and lived a law abiding life to have the privilege to apply for citizenship to the UK and I for the life of me can’t imagine why certificates are delaying my celebrations of being part of a country I’ve dreamt about being part of my entire life.
Initially, I was very excited for the ceremony, being a confirmation of being British, but recently noted that these ceremonies only started 16 years ago.
Three major points that we should be asking ourselves at this point in my opinion about delaying people’s celebration of becoming British:
Is it right? (clearly not, people are waiting, being affected in a myriad of ways, including mental health. It’s a stressful time and is a massive event in any applicants life, with the administrative uncertainty making life very difficult)
Is it helpful? (have naturalised/registered citizens become more law-abiding since ceremonies were introduced in 2004? Does any statistic prove that a ceremony leads to a more integrated British citizen?)
Is it necessary? (what difference does it make to read a few sentences off a piece of paper compared to ticking a box on a website form? Besides, the advent of virtual ceremonies is already a half-way house toward a full digitisation - time to take a brave new step into the XXI century).
I understand that in many ways there is very little anyone can do at this point, except for the point to be discussed in parliament. The US, Canada and Australia have all temporarily removed the need for citizenship ceremonies, and in the UK, this has not hit the media, potentially because there is no exclusion in an upcoming election. What is clear though, is that it still creates exclusion and tremendous uncertainty in an already uncertain world.
And i agree with petition other wise we dont know how will they leave us all hanging also it will help other who will be affected by this issue
I mean if at least they could tell us we are going to stop everything please expect thing to boot up again on January (what I do personally think) we may arrange better terms for our Christmas, anyway ...
