Australian citizenship is a much-coveted status, which is the next step for most Australian permanent residents.
Benefits
The constitution and law of the commonwealth of Australia grants many rights to both citizens and permanent residents. However, some rights are only for Australian citizens, such as:
- Obtaining Australian Passport
- Obtaining citizenship for new-born children.
- Re-entering Australia freely
- Receiving help from Australian missions while overseas
- Voting rights
- Becoming an elected official
- Eligibility for certain Federal jobs
- Grants and loans for Higher Education
- Enlisting in the armed forces
- Representing Australia in international sports and events etc.
Eligibility
To become an Australian citizen, one needs to
- Meet the residency requirement
- Be a permanent resident
- Be of good character
Residency Requirement for Citizenship
- Must have resided in Australia for at least 4 years on one or more valid visas.
- And must have been a permanent resident for the previous 12 months before application.
- Must not have been absent from Australia for more than 12 months in the four-year period.
- And must not have been absent from Australia for more than 90 days in the 12 months prior to Application.
Children who are Permanent residents do not need to meet the eligibility requirement for residency, if applying with an eligible adult parent.
Application stages
- Online or paper application (plus fees)
- Attend an Interview and Citizenship Test
- Attend a citizenship ceremony
- And make a pledge/affirmation to accepting the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship.
