Becoming an Australian citizen bears a number of great privileges in comparison to mere permanent residence. Australian citizens can seek employment in the Australian Public Service or Defense Force, participate in federal and state elections as voters, seek election to parliament, seek assistance from the Australian consulate when staying overseas, apply for an Australian passport and have the freedom to travel to/from Australia or they can apply for their children born overseas to become Australian citizens by descent.
Ways to Become an Australian Citizen
There are four major ways to become an Australian citizen:
1. Permanent Residents under 59 (citizenship by conferral)
To be an eligible applicant one must be a permanent resident of Australia under 59. One can include in the application their dependent children under 15, provided they are permanent residents too.
Requirements to apply:
- One has lived in Australia as a permanent resident for the past four years.
- One has stayed overseas not more than 12 months in total within the past 4 years
- One has stayed overseas not more than 90 days in total within the past year.
One may be exempt from the above three requirements, provided one of the following applies:
- One has been granted Labour Agreement (Migrant) visa (class AU) on or after July 2007
- One has been granted Labour Agreement (Residence) visa (class BV) on or after July 2007
- One has been granted Employer Nomination (Permanent) visa (class EN) on or after July 2007
- One has been granted Regional Employer Nomination (Permanent) visa (class RN) on or after July 2007
OR
- One’s work required overseas travel and one’s employer can provide evidence that they worked in that occupation minimum 2 years within the past 4 years and it was necessary to travel outside Australia for that work.
- One must have lived on a valid Australian visa during 4 years immediately before the application, with 12 months as a permanent resident immediately before the application.
- One must have been living in Australia for 16 months in total within the 4 years immediately preceding the application, with 4 months of that time in the year immediately preceding the application.
List of relevant occupations for the special residence requirement:
- a Chief Executive Officer or Executive Manager of an S&P/ASX All Australian 200 listed company
- a medical specialist, internationally renowned in their field, who is a fellow of an organization listed in Schedule 4- Part 1 of the Health Insurance Regulations 1975 (Cth) and holds a relevant qualification in relation to the organization
- a worker on a resources installation or a sea installation
- a member of the crew of a ship or aircraft
- a writer or a person engaged in the visual or performing arts and who holds, or has held, a Distinguished Talent Visa.
- a scientist employed by:
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) or
- a medical research institute which is a member of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI) or
- an Australian university who has attained a PhD in their field of specialty and is undertaking research and development of benefit to Australia
- One must meet the good character requirement. Factors that can influence on the decision:
- obligations one may have to a court in Australia or abroad
- one’s connections to people who raise concern
- reported domestic violence incidents
- any criminal records
- one’s honesty in one’s dealings with the Australian community ( including any false or misleading information provided for a visa or citizenship application)
- One must pass the citizenship test with a score of 75% or above, and provide 5 correct answers on Australian values to meet the requirement of knowledge of Australia. One will have an appointment during which one must demonstrate:
- basic English skills
- an understanding of what it means to be an Australian citizen
- an understanding and commitment to Australian values based on freedom, respect and equality
- a satisfactory knowledge of Australia, obligations and entitlements of citizenship
- One must demonstrate one’s intention to live in Australia or maintain a strong and lasting association with Australia while overseas. Factors that can influence on the decision:
- one’s child is an Australian citizen
- one’s partner is an Australian citizen and one spent sufficient time with one’s partner
- extended family in Australia
- bank account in Australia
- employment in Australia
- paid income tax in Australia
- property in Australia
- time spent in Australia
The approximate application processing time may range from 13 to 18 months.
The Department Application Fees:
Main applicant – AUD 490
Children under 15 applying with their parent – AUD 0,00
2. Permanent Residents over 60 (citizenship by conferral)
To be an eligible applicant one must be a permanent resident of Australia over 60. One can include in the application their dependent children under 15, provided they are permanent residents too.
Requirements to apply:
- One has lived in Australia as a permanent resident for the past four years.
- One has stayed overseas not more than 12 months in total within the past 4 years
- One has stayed overseas not more than 90 days in total within the past year.
One may be exempt from the above three requirements, provided the following applies:
- One’s work required overseas travel and one’s employer can provide evidence that they worked in that occupation minimum 2 years within the past 4 years and it was necessary to travel outside Australia for that work.
- One must have lived on a valid Australian visa during 4 years immediately before submitting the application, including 12 months as a permanent resident immediately before submitting the application.
- One must have been living in Australia for 16 months in total within the 4 years immediately preceding the application submission, with minimum 4 months of that time in the year immediately preceding the application submission.
4. One must meet the good character requirement. Factors that can influence the decision:
- obligations one may have to a court in Australia or abroad
- one’s connections to people who raise concern
- reported domestic violence incidents
- any criminal records
- one’s honesty in one’s dealings with the Australian community ( including any false or misleading information provided for a visa or citizenship application)
5. One may have to attend an interview to confirm one’s identity and demonstrate understanding of the character of the application being made.
6. One must demonstrate one’s intention to live in Australia or maintain a strong and lasting association with Australia while overseas. Factors that can influence the decision:
- one’s a child is an Australian citizen
- one’s partner is an Australian citizen and one spent sufficient time together
- extended family in Australia
- bank account in Australia
- employment in Australia
- paid income tax in Australia
- property in Australia
- time spent in Australia
The approximate application processing time may range from 13 to 18 months.
The Department Application Fees:
Main applicant – AUD 300
Children under 15 applying with their parent – AUD 0,00
3. Citizenship by Descent
This path is for those applicants who were born outside Australia and whose one or both parents are Australian citizens.
There are few requirements in this case:
- At least one of the parents was an Australian citizen at the time of one’s birth.
- If one’s parent became an Australian citizen by descent or by adoption outside Australia they need to have lived minimum 2 years in Australia before one may apply.
- One must meet the good character requirement. Factors that can influence on the decision:
- obligations one may have to a court in Australia or abroad
- one’s connections to people who raise concern
- reported domestic violence incidents
- any criminal records
- one’s honesty in one’s dealings with the Australian community ( including any false or misleading information provided for a visa or citizenship application)
The approximate application processing time may range from 9 to 11 months.
The Department Application Fees:
Main applicant – AUD 315
Each other sibling who apply together with you – AUD 130
4. Children under 15 applying on their own
This path is for children under 15 who wish to apply for Australian citizenship on their own.
Requirements to apply:
- One is a permanent resident of Australia.
- One’s parent either:
- a citizen of Australia who lives with the applicant
- an Australian permanent resident who does not want to apply for Australian citizenship, and who usually lives in Australia with the applicant
- not an Australian citizen and lives with the applicant, and the applicant would encounter great hardship or disadvantage unless one becomes an Australian citizen
- The applicant’s parent must consent and sign the application.
- If the applicant is a humanitarian minor child who is a ward of Minister, they must receive consent to their application from the Minister’s delegate, or if the applicant is not a ward of Minister, they must receive consent to their application from one’s responsible carer.
The approximate processing time may range from 13 to 18 months.
The Department Application Fees: Applicant – AUD 300