Australian Citizenship

Citizenship By Conferral – Australian Permanent Residents

Citizenship by Conferral requires permanent residents to be eligible for Australian citizenship if:

• They are a holder of a current permanent resident visa
• Have lived in Australia on a valid visa for at least the last 4 years
• Have held a permanent residency visa for at least the last 12 months
• Have not spent more than 12 months outside of Australia in the last four years including not being outside of Australia for more than 90 days in the past 12 months
• They are of ‘good character’
• Complete the Citizenship Test (if applicable)
• Not have any past issues relating to identity, character, risk factor or if you ceased to be an Australian Citizen in the past 12 months

Children 16 or 17 years old can be waived from meeting this requirement if it would cause significant hardship or disadvantage on a case-by-case basis.

Exemptions to the residency requirement

Certain applicants are exempt from meeting the above criteria relating to the amount of time they have spent in Australia.

These exemptions are:

• If you are a member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF)
• If the Minister varies the residence requirement (exceptional circumstances only)
• If you were undertaking specific activities supported by organisations (such as a National Sports Organisation or a federal government agency)
• If you engaged in specific work that required overseas travel

Citizenship by Descent – Your parent was an Australian Citizen when you were born overseas

People who were born to an Australian Citizen at the time of their birth may be eligible for Australian citizenship by Descent.

To be eligible for citizenship by Descent you must:

• Have been born outside of Australia on or after 26 January 1949
• One of your parents was an Australian citizen at the time of your birth
• Be of ‘Good Character’ if you are above 18 years of age when you apply

You may also be eligible for citizenship by Descent if you were born outside Australia through an international surrogacy arrangement.

Australian Citizenship – Other Circumstances

There are other circumstances that may entitle you to Australian citizenship. These are:

• You are an Australian Permanent Resident Child 15 years old or younger and applying on your own
• You were born to a former Australian citizen
• You were adopted as a Child outside Australia by an Australian citizen
• You were born in Papua before its independence in 1975
• You are born in Australia and are stateless

Australian Citizenship – NZ Citizens Special Category (SC444) Visa Holders

From 1 July 2023, New Zealand citizens residing in Australia on Subclass 444 Special Category Visa (SCV) will be able to apply directly for citizenship if they have resided in Australia for 4 years or more.

This is a direct pathway to Australian Citizenship for eligible New Zealand citizens.

Subclass 444 visa holders will no longer need to obtain Australian permanent residence first and meet the general residency requirement, as they will be eligible to now apply straight for Citizenship.

In order to meet the general residence requirement for Australian citizenship by conferral, an applicant must be lawfully present in Australia for four years, including 12 months as a permanent resident, immediately before the date of application.

By effect of these changes and as 1 July 2023:

• All New Zealand citizens holding an SCV will be considered permanent residents for citizenship purposes.
• New Zealand citizens granted an SCV before 1 July 2022 will have their period of permanent residence for citizenship purposes backdated to 1 July 2022.
• New Zealand citizens granted an SCV for the first time on or after 1 July 2022 will be considered a permanent resident for citizenship purposes from the date of their SCV grant.