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Citizenship Services
At GGI we help you with acquiring the citizenship of Australia. Being an Australian citizen is a privilege that comes with lot of responsibilities. As an Australian citizen you are eligible of entitlements such as,
- Apply for an Australian passport
- Leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you want
- Ask for help from an Australian consulate if in trouble overseas
- Vote in federal, state or territory elections
- Vote in a Constitutional referendum or plebiscite
- Seek election to parliament, if you are aged 18 years or over and are not dual citizen
- register the birth of your children in another country as an Australian citizen
One can become a citizen of Australia in different ways. But the basic criteria must be met. For permanent residents the citizenship is by conferral and for people born overseas to an Australian Parent it is by descent.
Become an Australian citizen (by conferral)
We will discuss the conferral type which is most common for permanent residents or New Zealand citizens, who have met the residency requirement. For people aged 59 years and under they
- have to be a permanent resident of the country at the time of application and decision
- be inside Australia at the time of decision
- would have spent time inside the country to meet residence requirement
- should know about Australian values and life
- intend to live in Australia or to maintain a long lasting link with Australia when overseas
Children who are permanent residents can be added into the main applicant’s citizenship application if they are aged 15 and below. Above 16 years of age an independent application needs to be lodged.
Residence Criteria
Applicants need to meet residence criteria at the time of lodging an application. They must:
- be living inside Australia on a valid visa for the past 4 years
- be a permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen for the past 12 months
- have not been away from Australia for more than 12 months in total in the last 4 years, including no more than 90 days in total, in the past 12 months
Certain exemptions to residence requirements are for,
- Children under 16 do not need to meet the general residence requirement but must be permanent residents at the time of application
- Children 16 or 17 years old, if meeting this requirement would cause significant hardship or disadvantage, sufficient proof needs to be provided.
- Children who were born to a former Australian citizen who lost their citizenship before 4 April 2002
- Children who were born in Papua New Guinea before 16 September 1975 and one of the parents was born in Australia and was an Australian citizen when the child was born.
- Members of Australian defence force or their family members
- Applicants who are subject to ministerial discretion, it may vary by individual case
- Activities supported by particular organisations or work that requires overseas travel with specified nature of work
Character requirement
The applicant over 18 years of age should be of a ‘good character’
Good character is the 'enduring moral qualities of a person'. Basic criteria used to assess the good character includes if that person is likely to,
- uphold and obey the laws of Australia
- meet the other commitments made through the citizenship pledge
Following might be considered to assess good character:
- any recorded criminal convictions
- obligations you may have to a court in Australia or overseas
- your association with people of concern
- incidents of reported domestic violence
- Whether you have been honest in your dealings with the Australian community, including providing false or misleading information in relation to a visa or citizenship application
Knowledge of Australia
In order to become Australian citizen most applicants will sit citizenship test to demonstrate that they know about Australia. The knowledge required is about,
- Australia and its people
- Australia's democratic beliefs, rights and liberties, and
- Government and the law in Australia
In order to meet the knowledge requirement a score of 75% or more must be scored.
Language requirement
It is essential to have basic knowledge of the English language to become an Australian citizen. English is the national language of the country. Communicating in English helps a person to live a full life in Australia.
A score of 75% or more in the citizenship test means that the applicant has met the English language requirement as well.
For some applicants who do not have to sit the test have to demonstrate in an interview that they
- Have an understanding of what it means to become an Australian citizen
- have an adequate knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship
Close and continuing link to Australia
In order to become Australian citizen the applicant must intend to live in Australia or maintain a close and continuing association with Australia while overseas. Australian citizenship is a privilege that requires a long-term commitment to Australia.
Following aspects can be considered in order to establish the strength of links to Australia if the applicant has,
- a child who is an Australian citizen
- a partner who is an Australian citizen and your time together
- extended family in Australia
- spent time in Australia
- a bank account in Australia
- a job in Australia
- paid income tax in Australia
- property in Australia
Rejection of the citizenship application
Factors that can impact the success of the citizenship application may include but are not limited to,
- identity assessment issue
- criminal offenses
- Risk to national security
- Recent former citizens who have ceased to be Australian citizen in the past 12 months
We at GGI guide you step by step on the eligibility criteria, lodging the citizenship application and can even help you to prepare the citizenship and English language test. Our experts make the entire process easy and free of hassle for you and your family. Our team is fully competent in assessing your circumstances and guiding you to choose the best option and to work together with you to make it a stress free journey in making the dream of becoming an Australian citizen, a reality.
Choose us and leave the rest!