ENTRY SCHEME: Permanent Australian Residents or New Zealand Citizens
Applying for
Australian Citizenship
through Interstaff
With over 30 years of experience in the Australian migration industry, Interstaff has successfully helped thousands of individuals acquire Australian Citizenship through the Permanent Resident scheme and other possible schemes. Our qualified and experienced migration agents liaise on your behalf with the Immigration Department, Australian State or Territory government agencies and any regional certifying bodies as required and provide professional advice at each step of the process, saving you valuable time and energy.
Get in touch with Interstaff migration agents on 08 9221 3388 or at [email protected] to see if you qualify to apply for Australian Citizenship under the Permanent Australian Resident or an Eligible New Zealand Citizen entry scheme.
Apply for Australian Citizenship if you are
A Permanent Australian Residents or an Eligible New Zealand Citizen
Permanent Australian residents or eligible New Zealand citizens can apply for Australian Citizenship if they intend to live in Australia indefinitely. All applicants must be of good character and pass the Australian Government’s character requirements, which includes not having recorded criminal convictions or reported domestic violence. You must also not have provided false or misleading information concerning previous visa or citizenship applications. Immigration Officers also place importance on the amount of time you have lived in Australia over the last 4 years.
To be eligible to apply for Australian Citizenship, applicants must:
- Be a permanent resident of Australia living in the country on a valid visa for the past 4 years
- Be a permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen for the past 12 months
- Be in Australia when the decision for application is announced by the Immigration Department
- Not have been away from Australia for more than 12 months in total in the last 4 years
- Not have been away from Australia for more than 90 days in total in the last 12 months
- Be knowledgeable about the country and its history
- Intend to live in Australia indefinitely
- Intend to maintain a lasting link with Australia while overseas
Applying for Australian Citizenship through the Permanent Resident Scheme
Exemptions to the General Residence Requirements
General Exemptions
Children under 16 years of age do not need to meet the general residence requirement but must be permanent residents when applying for Citizenship. Applicants born to a former Australian citizen who lost their citizenship before 4 April 2002, or if you were born in Papua before 16 September 1975 and one of your parents was born in Australia and was an Australian citizen when you were born, then you do not need to comply with the general residence requirements.
Australian Defence Force
Members of the Australian Defence Force and their families are also exempt from the general residence requirements when applying for Australian Citizenship. Family members are exempt from the general residence requirements when you and your family members have been granted the following visas on or after 1 July 2007 under the basis that they are ‘members of your family unit’:
- Labour Agreement (Migrant) visa (class AU)
- Labour Agreement (Residence) visa (class BV)
- Employer Nomination (Permanent) visa (class EN)
- Regional Employer Nomination (Permanent) visa (class RN)
You must also have served 90 days in the permanent forces or reserves of the Commonwealth of Australia or have served a total of 90 paid service days in the navy, army or air force reserve. If you were medically discharged from defence service or if a family member died on the field of service, the family can be exempted from the general residence requirement.
Ministerial discretion
If you were present in Australia as an unlawful non-citizen or as a temporary resident due to an administrative error, Ministerial Discretions may be applied to assist a person to meet the general residence requirements. If you were in prison or a psychiatric institution and the Minister has deemed your admittance to the institution as reasonable, the Minister can count this period in your general residence requirement. If you were a spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen or if you were in an interdependent relationship and had spent time outside Australia while a permanent resident, the Minister may treat that period as one in which you were present in Australia as a permanent resident.
An Australian Citizenship allows you to:
- stay in Australia indefinitely
- work and study in Australia
- travel to and from Australia as many times as you want
- sponsor dependent children or eligible family members to come to Australia
- enrol in Medicare, Australia’s public health care scheme
- get private health insurance if you have an interim (blue) Medicare card or a full (green) Medicare card
- access Australian Government benefits
As an Australian Citizen, your responsibilities are:
- to ensure that you will follow all Australian laws
- put to heart everything that is written when you pledge to become an Australian Citizen
- to clear any debts that you and your family owe the Australian government
- to clear any obligations that you and your family owe to your employer in Australia
Special residence requirement
If you want to engage in activities that are supported by particular organisations such as the federal government agency, you may be exempted from the general residence requirements provided that you have been living in Australia on a valid visa that allows permanent residency for 2 years. You must have also been in Australia for at least 180 days including 90 days within the last year.
If your work requires you to travel overseas and you’ve had a valid visa for the last 4 years, you may be exempt from the general residence requirements provided that you have been living in Australia for a total of 16 months (480 days) including at least 4 months (120 days) within the last year before your citizenship application.
If you are a member of a crew of a ship or an aircraft, or a worker on resource or sea installation, a Chief Executive Officer or Executive Manager of an S&P/ASX All Australian 200 listed company, a Scientist employed by an Australian university whose PhD research benefits Australia, or a Scientist employed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) or the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI), you may be exempted from the general residence requirement. Medical specialists or internationally renowned individuals, as well as anyone engaged in the visual or performing arts with a Distinguished Talent Visa, may also be exempted from the general residence requirement.
How Interstaff Can Help You Get an Australian Citizenship
Our Registered Migration Agents servicing Perth, Melbourne and Sydney can:
- Determine the best application scheme when applying for an Australian Citizenship
- Asses to confirm whether you are qualified to apply for Australian Citizenship based on your chosen scheme
- Advise a good strategy for your citizenship application and assist with all documentation and requirements
- Help you remain compliant with your requirements and obligations as an applicant by providing ongoing advice
Interstaff has assisted countless individuals to apply for Australian Citizenship for over 30 years. Individuals interested in applying for Australian Citizenship are encouraged to contact us at [email protected] or call 08 9221 3388 to discuss entry schemes and application requirements.
Can Interstaff help me appeal my Australian citizenship application?
There are many possible reasons why your Australian Citizenship application could have been denied. Usually your refusal letter from the Department of Immigration will provide a brief explanation as to why your citizenship application was refused. Our migration agents can help you understand why the Department refused your application and whether you can appeal the decision by undertaking an assessment of your application.
Some common reasons why citizenship applications are denied include: insufficient evidence to support the claims made in the application, changes in government policy or if you have breached any conditions. The Department may also believe that you will not meet the citizenship conditions or health and character requirements. Any incorrect or false claims can also lead to a refusal to accept your Australian Citizenship application.
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