Become an Australian citizen (by conferral)
Eligibility
- Must be a Permanent Resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen
- Residence requirement- Amount of time you have lived in Australia in the last 4 years.
- Meet character requirement.
- Knowledge of Australia and Language requirement- Most applicants will require to do Citizenship interview and test.
- Must intend to live in Australia or maintain a close and continuing association with Australia while overseas
For New Zealand citizens
To become an Australian citizen depends on when you arrived in Australia:
- After 26 February 2001: You must first become a permanent resident, then apply for citizenship. Please see Skilled Independent visa SC189 (NZ Stream)
- On or before 26/02/2001: To be an eligible New Zealand citizen, you
- were in Australia on 26 February 2001 on an SCV
- spent at least 12 months in Australia on an SCV in the 2 years immediately before 26 February 2001, or
- have a Centrelink certificate from before 26 February 2004 that shows you were living in Australia
If you are an eligible New Zealand citizen, you can apply for citizenship (by conferral). You do not need to become a permanent resident first. You can also sponsor family members.
Become an Australian citizen (by descent)
Eligibility
- You may be eligible if you were born outside Australia and one or both of your parents at the time of your birth, was also an Australian citizen.
- Your parent will need to have spent at least 2 years lawfully in Australia before you apply if they became an Australian citizen:
- by descent, or
- by adoption outside Australia under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption or bilateral arrangement.
- If you are 18 years old or over at the time you apply, you must be of good character.
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