Permanent Residents who have met the residency requirement and pass a citizenship test are eligible for Australian citizenship, a privilege providing numerous benefits including the right to vote in Australian elections and obtain an Australian Passport, one of the most highly regarded travel documents in the world.

At TooRoo Migration Lawyers, we pride ourselves in taking newcomers to Australia through the whole process of becoming an Australian citizen, from finding their first visa through to permanent residency and ultimately citizenship, the final chapter in your immigration story.

To be eligible for citizenship, you must:

You must be of good character, however not all offences will preclude you from applying;
You must meet the general residence requirement, which requires you to have lived in Australia for at least four years, one of which as a permanent resident and not been absent from the country for more than a prescribed period of time;
You must have adequate knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship; and
You must intend to reside or maintain a close and continuing association with Australia.

Applicant who are aged are not require to sit the citizenship test.

If you are a migrant with Permanent Residency, you must meet the below requirements to be eligible to apply for Australian Citizenship:

You must be a permanent resident at the time of application and time of decision
You must meet the residency requirements
You must be of good character
You must demonstrate basic knowledge of the English language
You must intend to live or maintain a close and continuing association with Australia
You must have adequate knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship.

(Applicants over 60 years of age are not required to sit the citizenship test.)

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT

You must have lived in Australia for four years immediately before applying while holding a valid Australian visa
You must have been a permanent resident for at least 12 months immediately applying
You must not have been absent from Australia for more than one year in total, during the four-year period
You must not have been absent from Australia for more than 90 days in the 12 months before applying.

CHILDREN

Children under 16 years of age can be included in your citizenship application if they are permanent residents.

Children under 16 years of age must be permanent residents but do not need to meet the residency requirements.

CALCULATE YOUR PERMANENT RESIDENCY

If you were granted a permanent residency before arriving in Australia, your permanent residence date will be the date that you arrived in Australia on that visa.

If you were granted a permanent residency after you arrived in Australia, your permanent residence date will be your permanent visa grant date

If you are a Spouse or Partner of an Australian Citizen, you must meet the below requirements to be eligible to apply for Australian Citizenship:

You must be a permanent resident at the time of application and the time of decision
You must meet the general residence requirement
You must be of good character
You must have basic knowledge of the English language
You must have adequate knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship
You must intend to live or maintain a close and continuing association with Australia.

(Applicants over 60 years of age are not required to sit the citizenship test.)

GENERAL RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT

You must have lived in Australia for four years immediately before applying while holding a valid Australian visa
You must have been a permanent resident for the 12 months immediately applying
You must not have been absent from Australia for more than one year in total, during the four-year period
You must not have been absent from Australia for more than 90 days in the 12 months before applying

CALCULATE YOUR PERMANENT RESIDENCY

If your permanent visa was granted before you arrived in Australia, your permanent residence date is the date that you arrived in Australia on that visa.

If your permanent visas was granted after you arrived in Australia, your permanent residence date will be the date your permanent visa was granted

CHILDREN

Children who are aged under 16 years can be included in your Citizenship application if they are permanent residents.

Children under 16 years of age do not need to meet the residency requirement.

GENERAL

A New Zealand Citizen living in Australia must meet the below requirements to be eligible to apply for Australian Citizenship:

You must hold a permanent visa, or are a ‘protected SCV’ holder under the Social Security Act 1991
You must meet the residence requirement
You must be of good character (if you are over 18 years)

Eligible protected SCV holders include those who:

were in Australia on 26 February 2001 on a Special Category Visa (SCV); or
were in Australia for 12 months in the 2 years immediately before this date, or
have been assessed as protected SCV holders (have a Centrelink certificate stating that they were living in Australia on a particular date).
New Zealand Citizens are automatically granted a Special Category visa (subclass 444) upon arriving in Australia. This is not a permanent visa. Unless you have applied for another Australian visa, you will hold this temporary visa.

GENERAL RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT

You must have lived in Australia for four years immediately before applying while holding a valid Australian visa
You must have been a permanent resident for the 12 months immediately applying
You must not have been absent from Australia for more than one year in total, during the four year period
You must not have been absent from Australia for more than 90 days in the 12 months before applying