You can apply for Australia Citizenship if:
- • You have been a Permanent Resident for 1 year and have lived in Australia for at least 9 months out of 12 months within the year.
- • You have lived continuously and legally in Australia for the past 4 years
- • You are physically present in Australia and have not been absent for more than 12 months in the last 4 years
- • You meet the good moral character requirement.
IF YOU ARE A PARTNER OR SPOUSE OF AN AUSTRALIAN CITIZEN
As a wife, husband or partner of an Australian citizen you must follow the same process and satisy the same requirements as any other applicant.
A Partner Visa 820 is a temporary visa and the first step towards getting a permanent Partner Visa (subclass 801). In order to apply for citizenship, you need to have held permanent residency status for 1 year and lived in Australia for at least 9 months of that year., as well as having lived continuously and legally in Australia for the past 4 years.
However, as a spouse of an Australia Citizen there might be times where the time speech overseas may count as time spent in Australia if a close connection to Australia can be proved. This time may be counted towards the residence requirement.
I AM A CITIZEN OF NEW ZEALAND – WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS?
Most New Zealand citizens are granted a Special Category visa (SCV) upon arrival to Australia.
An SCV is a temporary visa but it grants permanent resident status which provides the right to live and work in Australia indefinitely. Your eligibility for Australian citizenship depends on your date of arrival to Australia.
- • If you arrived before 26th February 2001 you may be eligible to apply for Australian Citizenship.
- •If you arrived after 26 February 2001, you might be required to apply fgot permanent resident status first to be eligible for Australian Citizenship
- •If you have a Centrelink certificate issued before 26th February 2004, stating you were residing in Australia, you may also be eligible to apply for Australian Citizenship