Citizenship Application for Australia

Permanent Residents as well as NZ Citizens living in Australia can apply for Citizenship of Australia provided they meet with the requirements of residence in Australia, Medicals, Police checks and other requirements as required by Dept. of Immigration, Australia.

Citizenship of Australia – It is becoming harder and harder day by day to become a citizen of Australia. Many applicants have been facing several issues in becoming citizens of Australia. Also please remember that if you have received temporary and then permanent visa with bogus or fake documents or by providing incorrect information, it can haunt you when you apply for citizenship of Australia and you will be refused citizenship and you may have appeal rights. You have to be honest and trustworthy person to become a citizen of Australia. If you wish to become a citizen of Australia, you must start knowing the requirements of applying for citizenship of Australia as soon as you become a permanent resident because at the time of application for citizenship of Australia, you have to meet with residence and other requirements such as you have gone overseas for a few months may be ok but if you have remain absent half of year that may not be ok; also you to identify by authorized person to whom you were known for at least 12 months and when you reach that person, that person would say ‘ sorry, I don’t know you for 12 months’ and you will stuck up to apply for citizenship as application forms do demand to meet with requirements at the time of application. Please feel free to contact us for initial consulting and in case of complex issues if you are denied citizenship, we will try our best to solve those problems in consultation with experts of the migration industry known to us.

To become an Australian citizen you need to meet certain requirements. For most applicants these include that you:

  • are a permanent resident at time of application and time of decision
  • meet the residence requirements
  • are of good character
  • have a basic knowledge of the English language
  • intend to reside or maintain a close and continuing association with Australia
  • have an adequate knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship.
  • If you are 60 years of age or over you are not required to sit the citizenship test.

General residence requirement

The general residence requirement is based on the amount of time you have lived in Australia.

You must meet all of the following:

  • have lived in Australia on a valid Australian visa for four years immediately before applying
  • must have been a permanent resident for the 12 months immediately before making an application and not have been absent from Australia for more than one year in total, during the four year period, including no more than 90 days in the 12 months before applying.
  • Under some circumstances you might be eligible to apply for a variation to the residence requirement or be eligible under the special residence requirement.
  • Calculate your permanent residency
  • If you were granted a permanent resident visa before you arrived in Australia, your permanent residence date is the date that you arrived in Australia on that visa.
  • If you were granted a permanent resident visa after you arrived in Australia, your permanent residence date will be the date that the visa was granted.
  • Use the Residence Requirement Calculator to determine if you meet the permanent residence requirements to become a citizen.

Children 16 Or 17 Years Of Age

  • You must be a permanent resident at the time you apply for citizenship and when a decision is made on your application. You also need to:
  • satisfy the residence requirement at the time of your application (or show that you would suffer significant hardship or disadvantage if you had to meet this requirement)
  • understand the nature of your application
  • have a basic knowledge of the English language
  • have an adequate knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship
  • be likely to reside or continue to reside in Australia, or maintain a close and continuing association with Australia.
  • Your Australian citizenship options
  • If you are 16 or 17 years of age and want to apply for Australian citizenship you need to complete and lodge Form 1290 Application for Australian citizenship – Other situations with the correct fee and all of the required documents.

NZ Citizens Living in Australia

To be eligible for Australian citizenship you need to meet legal requirements which include that you

  • hold a permanent visa, or are a ‘protected SCV’ holder under the Social Security Act 1991
  • meet the residence requirement
  • are of good character if you are 18 years of age or older.
  • Eligible protected SCV holders include those who:

a. were in Australia on 26 February 2001 on a Special Category Visa (SCV); or

b. were in Australia for 12 months in the 2 years immediately before this date; or

c. have been assessed as protected SCV holders (have a Centrelink certificate stating that they                    were living in Australia on a particular date).

Usually, unless you have been granted another type of visa, on your arrival in Australia and when you present your New Zealand passport, you will automatically be granted a Special Category visa (subclass 444). It is a temporary visa that lets you stay and work in Australia. It is not a permanent residence visa.

Information about the additional pathway to permanent residence introduced on 1 July 2017, and general information for New Zealanders in Australia is available.

  • Documents – get your identity documents, character documents and supporting documents.
  • Apply – pay the fee and apply. Dept of Immigration, Australia will assess your
  • Appointment – you will be invited to an appointment to sit your citizenship test or have an interview. Dept will make a decision about your application and advise you of the outcome
  • Ceremony – make the Australian Citizenship Pledge at your citizenship ceremony after you receive an invitation.

Fees

The fee for this application is AUD 285 unless you are eligible for a concession.

Documents

There are three types of documents that you need for your citizenship application:

  • identity documents
  • good character documents
  • supporting documents
  • Identity documents
  • photograph and signature
  • current residential address
  • birth name, date of birth and gender.
  • If you have changed your name, provide evidence of this including links between names.

The Identity declaration completed by a person with the relevant authority and accompanied by an endorsed photograph signed by the same person. If you are applying on a paper application, this is contained in the form. If you are applying online, a Form 1195 – Identity Declaration is required for you and each person included in your application.

Examples of identity documents are available

  • Good character documents
  • The documents that you need to provide depend on whether you hold a Special Category visa (subclass 444) or a permanent visa
  • Special Category visa (subclass 444) holders
  • Provide a penal clearance certificate from every country which you spent more than 90 days in since the age of 18 years.
  • Provide a full record of convictions from New Zealand.
  • We might also ask you to provide a penal clearance certificate in other circumstances.

Permanent visa holders

You need to provide a penal clearance certificate if, in the time since you were granted a permanent Australian visa:

  • you lived or travelled outside Australia since the age of 18 years
  • the total time spent outside Australia adds up to 12 months or more
  • the total time spent in any one country adds up to more than 90 days.

Provide a penal clearance certificate from every country that you spent more than 90 days in.

Supporting documents

If you are a Special Category visa holder but were not in Australia on 26 February 2001, provide a Centrelink certificate with your application.

Depending on your application, you might also need to provide:

  • evidence that you are eligible for fee concessions or exemptions
  • evidence to support your request for a ministerial discretions or the special residence requirement
  • evidence that you meet a special evidence requirement or the Defence Service Requirement
  • identity documents related to children included in your application.
  • Documents not in English must be translated.

If you are applying in Australia, use a translator accredited by the National Accreditation Authority of Translators and Interpreters.

If you are applying outside Australia, contact the Australian mission in the country which issued the document for advice on translators.

Include the translation and the document which is not in English with your application.

Dept will accept online or paper applications. You cannot apply online and will need to apply by paper application if you:

  • are eligible for a fee concession or exemption
  • are part of the Australian Defence Force
  • are a stateless person
  • do not have a current or expired passport
  • have not travelled in or out of Australia since July 1990.

After you have applied, we will assess your application. We will advise you when this is complete.

If you are lodging a paper application, complete one of these forms:

  • Form 1300t Australian citizenship – General eligibility if you are aged 18 to 59 years.
  • Form 1290 – Australian Citizenship – Other situations if you are one of the following:

a. 60 years of age and over

b. 18 years of age and over and have a permanent loss or impairment of hearing, speech or sight

c. 18 years and over and have an enduring physical or mental incapacity that means you do not understand the application or cannot demonstrate a basic knowledge of English or a basic knowledge of Australia and the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship

d. 16 or 17 years of age

e. under 16 years of age and not applying with a parent.

Applying in Australia

If you are lodging a paper application, include certified copies of your documents. Do not post original documents.

Send your application to the address on the form nearest to you.

Applying from outside Australia

If you complete a paper application, include certified copies of your documents. Do not post original documents.

Send your application to the address listed on the form.

Fees

You must include the application fee with the application. The fee for this application is AUD 285, unless you are eligible for a concession. More information about fees and concessions is available.

  • Dept will make a decision about your application and advise you of the outcome.
  • You will be invited to a citizenship appointment where you will sit the citizenship test or have an interview. Dept will send you a letter with your appointment details.
  • Bring your original documents to your appointment.
  • Most applicants for Australian citizenship need to sit and pass the citizenship test to show that they have:
  • a basic knowledge of the English language
  • an adequate knowledge of Australia and of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship
  • an understanding of the nature of their application.
  • All the questions in the test are based on Australian Citizenship – Our Common Bond.
  • You do not need to sit the test if you:

a. are aged under 18

b. are aged 60 and over

c. suffer from a substantial impairment or loss of hearing, speech or sight

 d. can show medical evidence of a permanent or enduring physical mental incapacity which                     means you are not capable of:

 – understanding the nature of your application

– demonstrating a basic knowledge of the English language

 – demonstrating an adequate knowledge of Australia and of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship

– were born to a former Australian citizen

 – were born in Papua before 16 September 1975 to an Australian citizen born in Australia as currently defined

  – are stateless and were born in Australia

– lodged your citizenship application before 1 October 2007.

If you do not need to sit the test, you might have a citizenship interview. At the interview we will confirm that you understand your citizenship application and, if you are 16 or 17 years old, that you have a basic knowledge of English and that you understand the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship.

Ceremony

If your application is approved and you are 16 years of age or over and do not have an incapacity, you will need to attend a citizenship ceremony and make the Australian Citizenship Pledge.

If you are required to make the Pledge, you must do it within 12 months of being notified of your application being approved. If you do not make the Pledge within 12 months, the approval of your application may be cancelled. Your local council will coordinate your citizenship ceremony. Usually your ceremony will be held within six months from the time your application is approved, but waiting times vary.

After you make the Pledge, you will be an Australian citizen. This completes the process of becoming an Australian citizen. Usually, you will receive your citizenship certificate at your ceremony after making the Pledge.

Consulting for Refusal of Citizenship:

It may be possible for many applicants that citizenship will be refused on character or other grounds and if you have appeal rights you must consult highly experienced registered migration agent as to how best you can lodge your appeal to AAT and later how best you can proceed further to put forward your case so that AAT Appeal authority can consider your appeal. This is very complex task and we have come Industry Experts who may be very much helpful to you to assist you further. You are requested to contact us if you wish to have expert’s advice on refusal of your citizenship for Australia.


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