Australian permanent residents and “eligible New Zealand citizens” may be entitled to apply for Australian citizenship (by conferral) if certain criteria are met.
An ‘eligible New Zealand citizen’ in this instance is an individual who arrived in Australia with a New Zealand passport, and:
Please note, however, a Protected Special Category (subclass 444) Visa holder may be entitled to additional benefits to the above.
Amongst the criteria to be satisfied a ‘general residency requirement’ must also be met. In order to meet this requirement, you must be an Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen for at least 12 months, must be able to show that you have been living in Australia on a valid visa for at least the past four years and the Department of Home Affairs will also consider how much time you have spent outside of Australia in recent years.
Please note that if you have been outside of Australia for more than 12 months over the past 4 years, or more than 90 days over the past 12 months, you may not be eligible to apply for Australian citizenship unless certain circumstances exist.
This citizenship pathway is only for eligible individuals aged 59 years and younger. If you are 60 years or older, please note there are other options noted below.
Other Pathways:
Further to the above Australian citizenship pathways, we note that there are other pathways to citizenship including:
Although the Australian citizenship pathways can be lengthy and confusing, it is an important process in order to obtain the benefits of being an Australian citizen.
After lodging an Australian citizenship application, an applicant will typically be invited to undertake an interview and sit the citizenship test. After these have occurred, the applicant is required to wait for a decision from the Department of Home Affairs.
If the application is approved, the applicant will be notified by the Department of Home Affairs and then be required to attend a citizenship ceremony and make the Australian Citizenship Pledge. Only after this has occurred, the applicant will be able to be granted Australian citizenship.
If you would like to discuss the suitability of any of the above options for you, or if you would like assistance in applying for Australian citizenship then please do not hesitate to contact our office to discuss your options with one of our team members.
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