Citizenship Australia

Australian Citizenship, sometimes referred to as naturalisation give the full rights of citizenship to the holder including the right to vote. An Australian citizen may live and work in Australia freely and permanently with no restrictions placed upon them. Citizenship may be claimed on the basis of a candidate's birth in Australia or upon the grounds that a candidate has been living and working in Australia for a period of four years or more and has held a grant of permanent residence for at least twelve months.

Applying for Australian Citizenship Through Naturalisation

In order to submit an application for Australian Citizenship through the process of naturalization, a candidate must be an Australian permanent resident and must have been in possession of permanent Australian residence for a minimum of 12 months. A candidate must have been living lawfully in the country for a minimum of 4 years. A candidate's time spent living in Australia must be continuous and if more than 12 months within the four year period, or more than 3 months within the year directly preceding the application have been spent outside Australia, a candidate will not qualify.

Several Australian visa services which are issued as temporary residence permits nonetheless count towards the overall requirements for a grant of Australian citizenship. For example a person who originally obtained a 457 visas or Australian work permit to live and work in Australia who has been resident in Australia for three years may count this time in the country towards the Citizenship requirements.

Australian Citizenship Requirements

Applicants will need to pass the citizenship test which focuses upon an applicant's understanding of Australian society, values and history. The test aims to establish the ability of a candidate to fully integrate into Australian society and to participate as a citizen.

People under the age of 18 or over the age of 60 do not have to undergo the citizenship test in some cases. People who have a substantial loss of hearing, speech or sight and those who have a physical or mental disability which prevents them from taking the test are also exempt.

However, in all circumstances, applicants must have a good knowledge of the English language, have a satisfactory knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of being an Australian citizen and intend to reside in Australia, or to maintain a close connection with the country. Candidates must also be deemed to be of good character and to be in good health according to the Australian health and character requirements.

Applying for Australian Citizenship through Birth

Those born in Australia before 20th August 1986, or after this date to one or both parents who held either Australian citizenship or Australian permanent residence at the time of the birth, automatically qualify. In addition, those born after this date and who do not have a parent who held citizenship or permanent residence at the time but have spent most of their life up to their tenth birthday in Australia will also qualify. In such circumstance citizenship would automatically be bestowed on the candidate on their tenth birthday.

Those who are born overseas to a parent with Australian citizenship would also qualify and it is worth noting that Australia supports 'dual citizenship' allowing a person to maintain citizenship of their previous country of residence in addition to their Australian citizenship. Many countries do not support dual citizenship and where this is the case, naturalizing as an Australian citizen will result in the loss of citizenship of the other country.

Complete the Global Visas online Australian citizenship form now to begin your application.