Need advice getting my Australian passport when my mum’s citizenship records don’t match

I was born in Queensland in 1990 and have lived in Australia my entire life. I’ve recently applied for an Australian passport, but I’m stuck on proving my mum’s citizenship.

My mum was an Australian citizen when I was born, but my dad was only a permanent resident. Both my parents have since passed away.

The problem is that my mum apparently used an extra middle name on her citizenship certificate (“Sharon CORNELIUS Smith”), which I’ve never known her to use. I only have her death certificate and marriage certificate, and neither provides enough information to match the name on her citizenship records.

I’ve tried contacting Immigration, but the wait times are difficult with work, and I don’t know how to get a copy of her citizenship certificate when the names don’t match.

I have my own Australian birth certificate, Medicare card, driver’s licence and other documents proving I’ve lived here my whole life.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Who can I contact for help tracing my mum’s citizenship records or proving her citizenship another way? I’m really stressed and worried about what this means for my own status in Australia.

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. ❤️

I've been invited to apply for the 189 visa but I'm struggling to fill in the character declaration portion. In 2018 I was driving under the influence and ordered to appear in court; on grounds of first offence and good character etc the judge decided not to record a conviction. I have no email or digital records of any government documents mandating a fine either.

I'm inclined to declare this but I'm really not sure where...

Q1 is "Has any applicant ever been charged with any offence that is currently awaiting legal action?" >> this is not still under investigation nor pending legal action so I'd answer NO

Q2 is "Has any applicant ever been convicted of an offence in any country (including any conviction which is now removed from official records)?" >> I would think to declare NO given that no conviction was recorded and I was granted an ETA in 2025 with a response of "NO" to this question too

All other questions don't seem to apply...

Hi guys, I would like to apply for the refund (visa is already withdrawn) but the problem is my agent is the one who did the transaction before (payment of visa)

So when I go to manage payments, i dont have any transactions on my immi acc so therefor I cant apply for the refund thrlugh my immi acct and the worst part is my agent does not reply to me anymore.

Is there otherway to file for my refund? Do I still need info about my agent?

THANK YOU!

Hi everyone,
I’m currently working full-time as an Electrical Engineer in Perth, WA, and my employer is willing to sponsor me for PR through the subclass 186 Direct Entry stream.
Here’s my situation:
Employment start date: 10 February 2026
3 years of skilled experience: 10 February 2029 (assuming all employment counts)
Current visa: Subclass 485
Expected 485 expiry after extension: 1 April 2029
Time between completing 3 years and visa expiry: 54 days
My employer prefers to wait until I qualify for the 186 Direct Entry rather than sponsoring me for a 482 first.
My main concern is the tight timeline. I have my positive skills assessment, assuming i have all other documents ready beforehand, would 54 days be sufficient to lodge a valid 186 application?
Has anyone been in a similar situation or successfully applied for 186 Direct Entry with such a tight timeframe?
Would appreciate any advice or experiences. Thanks!

Hi everyone,
My partner already has a positive ACS skills assessment for ICT Security Specialist. At the time of her assessment, she had around 1 year of relevant Australian work experience.
She is now about to complete 3 years of relevant Australian work experience, which would potentially allow her to claim additional employment points in her EOI.
Does she need to get a new/reassessment from ACS showing the full 3 years before updating her EOI and claiming the additional points?
Or can she update the EOI once she reaches 3 years, using her existing positive ACS assessment plus employment evidence such as payslips, contracts, reference letters, etc.?
Has anyone been in a similar situation recently?
Thanks!

I have applied to usyd and got the unconditional offer letter on September however my credit is still being assessed it’s November almost. Now the agent is saying that usyd representative told “ it’s best for me” to accept the offer first pay the deposit and wait for the credit assessment, which mind it she told has 50/50 chance of being accepted. But paying initial payment will speed up the process and I will have results before mid November.
I need advise now in case I don’t qualify for credit transfer should I try different uni? Like uts or macq?
And still the visa application process is pending. I am scared for rejection with the current conditions of Australia international student visa. I am really confused.
Seeking help from the those who went through credit transfer internationally. I am aiming for feb intak2027, 1+2

I’m considering transferring to a university in Australia or the US. Before submitting a formal application, I was wondering if anyone has emailed university admissions teams with their unofficial/online academic transcript and course outlines to ask for a preliminary credit assessment?
Basically, I want to know how many of my completed credits could potentially be transferred and how much of the degree I’d have left to complete.

Is it safe to share your online transcript this way?

Hi all!

I applied to my PR in June when my English test score was still valid. It's from the exam I did for the 482 three years ago.

Should I retake the test and upload a new score even though it was valid when I applied to the 186?

Thanks!

I am preparing to apply for 189 visa. I have 6 years of overseas experience. My salary has increased from 1800€ to 5600€ over the years with the job title remains unchanged. Most of it increased in first two years.
Do visa officer questions on the increment?

I’m an international student at RMIT on a Subclass 500 visa. My 3rd semester starts on 1 March 2027, but I’ll be overseas and returning on 22 March.

RMIT Student Connect said they have no issues with it, but I’m worried about immigration.

Could I face any problems at the airport, visa issues, or penalties for returning late? Has anyone experienced this?

I genuinely thought that “De facto” meant single, like single by default, apparently its the complete opposite. Kinda my fault for not realising there was a “Never Married” option if I scrolled down.

I submitted a Incorrect answer form and had done my biometrics, does it take long for them to process that? Because my family members got theirs after 20 mins…

Hi everyone,
I’m an Indian citizen and my husband is an Australian citizen. We got married in July 2026, after being engaged for almost a year. We’re currently living apart, and I really don’t want to spend the next 2 years doing long distance and putting our married life on hold while waiting for my partner visa.
I understand that the offshore partner visa (subclass 309/100) can take a long time, but I’m trying to figure out if there’s any legitimate way for me to move to Australia and start living with my husband sooner.
I have a LLB degree from India and have been practising as a lawyer. I’m considering pursuing an LLM or another law-related postgraduate course in Australia, so I was wondering whether applying for a student visa (subclass 500) could be a viable option.
A few questions I have:
1. Would it make sense to apply for a student visa, move to Australia, and then apply for an onshore partner visa (subclass 820/801)?
2. If I enter Australia on a student visa, am I allowed to apply for an onshore partner visa while studying? Are there any restrictions or risks I should know about?
3. Would applying for a visitor visa be another option to spend time with my husband while our offshore partner visa is processing? Can I apply for an onshore partner visa if I enter on a visitor visa, depending on the conditions attached to it?
Is there any other legitimate visa pathway that could allow me to join my Australian-citizen husband sooner?
• For anyone who has been in a similar situation, what did you do, and how long did it take for you to actually reunite and live together?
•Our relationship is genuine, and we have evidence of our engagement and marriage. I’m willing to study if that gives me a realistic opportunity to move to Australia, but my main priority is simply being with my husband and starting our life together.
• I’d really appreciate advice from people who have gone through this process, especially Indian applicants married to Australian citizens, or anyone who has successfully navigated a similar situation.

for student visa application employment history, the form states

Give details of the applicant's employment and unemployment history since leaving school/college/university.

• Employment includes all paid employment, self-employment, family business employment, work experience, internships, unpaid employment and volunteer work.

• Unemployment includes all gaps in employment since leaving school/college/university.

however, all my previous jobs were ones worked While currently studying. meaning i have never left school. would i still need to declare them?

tia!

Hi All,

I recently submitted my visa 189 application. My concern is that I did not receive a biometric request letter immediately. Is this normal? Has anyone here experienced a similar situation, and when did you receive your biometric request letter? Also, has anyone obtained their grant without requiring biometric capture?

I am from the Philippines, by the way.

Thanks in advance.

Submit application on 3 July 2026, received grant result on 27 Oct 2026. With one request of additional information from immi, and got the granted one hour after the submission request 🫶🏻🫶🏻!! All the best to Malaysians those still waiting
Thanks god 🙌🏻

It's so annoying when they don't update their website and still says this and that needs to be certified
So what are the documents we actually need to get certified, if any?

Anyone else having problems with the app today? US passport, traveling for vacation. Trying to submit a tourist visa for a trip in 2 weeks and it keeps declining my payment (says I'm not connected to the internet but I am; I also tried multiple credit card types).

When will the current invitation page will get updated?

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skillselect/invitation-rounds

It still shows

Current round
Invitations issued on 4 June 2026

Looking to apply for my citizenship, well proof that I’m citizen.

I was born in 1989 in Australia, mum on work visa I guess and dad I assume was on PR. Dad got citizenship 6 months after my birth so with that I assume he must have had PR before that?

How would I go about finding proof of his permanent residency? He passed away 2 years ago, I have all his Australian passports the first one was issued around 6months after my birth.

So does this mean 491 pathway 1 portal won’t open till July 2027?

https://www.nsw.gov.au/visas-and-migration/skilled-visas/skilled-work-regional-visa-subclass-491

Important Notice: Closure of the Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491)
We wish to advise that applications are now closed for the current program year, as all available nomination places have been fully allocated.
Applications that have already been submitted will continue to be assessed and finalised once new nomination places are allocated by the Department of Home Affairs. Applicants are not required to take any further action at this time.
We are currently reviewing the program settings and eligibility criteria for the next program year. Updated information will be published on NSW website in due course.
Thank you for your interest in the NSW Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) program.

Occupation gets taken off of 190 and now this. What a terrible outcome for me.

I applied for the 651 I still haven’t received any answers to provide any information from the department I kept calling them they said rhey will come and email me without even giving any proper response what should I do guys??? I provided few documents

I wanted to go to Australia for masters but my PTE results are 59 overall. Can anyone confirms that I can get admissions in Australia or do I have to repeat PTE

Hi everyone, I’m a UK passport holder currently offshore in the UK. I applied for my third year 417 on 30 July 2026 and am still waiting for a decision.
My occupation/intended work is currently listed as hospitality, but my plans have changed since applying. I previously worked in disability support in WA and now intend to return to that work once my visa is granted.
I’m considering updating my application to reflect this. I have employment emails and a position description, and I’m asking my employer for current confirmation of work available on my return.
However, I’m worried that declaring disability support work could trigger a medical and add more waiting time.
I’ve seen some reports of healthcare workers receiving grants, although I don’t know whether there’s any actual priority for 417 applications.
Has anyone changed their intended occupation from hospitality to healthcare/disability support while their 417 was pending? Did it trigger a medical, and did it affect your processing time?
Would you recommend making the update based on your experience? I want my application to reflect my current plans, but I’m anxious about making an already long wait even longer.
Thanks!