There have been a few concerns in the media lately that New Zealanders will no longer have direct access to Australian citizenship following the Government’s recent citizenship changes – so we thought we’d clarify this for all Kiwis out there.
On 19 April 2017, the Government announced changes to the Australian citizenship requirements and as a result, all permanent residents would need to wait 4 years before applying for citizenship instead of 1 year.
Thankfully for up to 60,000 New Zealanders living in Australia, the Government has confirmed New Zealanders won’t be affected by the recent citizenship changes.
Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull has stated that Kiwis who arrived in Australia between February 2001 and February 2016, and who have permanent residency, will still only have to wait one year before being eligible to apply for Australian citizenship.
Read about the new citizenship requirements here or if you’d like to find out if you’re eligible for Australian citizenship, we encourage you to contact Interstaff’s Registered Migration agents on +61 8 9221 3388 (or National Free Call 1800 449 858) or [email protected]
Source:
Interstaff
TVNZ
