Citizenship Eligibility

Four types of Eligibility Four ways you could be eligible for Australian citizenship: There are four main ways that you could be eligible to apply for Australian citizenship. Australian citizenship by adoption Australian citizenship by descent Australian citizenship by resumption Australian citizenship by conferral

Citizenship by Adoption or decent These two ways of eligibility are for you if either of your parents were Australian citizens. If so, then you may be able to become an Australia citizen just by being the child of one, including if you were adopted by an Australian.

Citizenship by resumption (resuming) The third way to get Australian citizenship is to resume it if you were already a citizen before but you lost it somehow, and you now want to get it back again.

Citizenship by Conferral Citizenship by conferral is for people who have migrated to Australia. This is probably one of the most common ways to get Australian citizenship. It means that Australian citizenship is granted to you if you have met certain requirements, including residency for a period of time, and other requirements.

Conferral requirements Reside in Australia for at least 4 years You need to have been lawfully resident in Australia for 4 years before you apply for citizenship. The “lawfully resident” requirement can include years that you were living in Australia on a student visa, tourist visa or 457 visa, but you must have lived in Australia as a permanent resident for at least 12 months. Plan to live in and keep ongoing ties with Australia You also need to show that you are planning to live in Australia or keep close and ongoing ties with Australia. Speak and understand English Another requirement is that you must be able to speak and understand basic English. Pass the Australian citizenship test You must pass the Australian citizenship test, which tests you on Australian history, values, traditions and national symbols. There may be some exceptions to these requirements, such as for spouses of Australian citizens, where some residency requirements are less strict for them.