Australian Citizenship Pathway for New Zealand Citizens
On 22 April 2023, the Australian Government announced a direct pathway to Australian citizenship for New Zealand citizens living in Australia, effective 1 July 2023.
New Zealand citizens who have been living in Australia for four years or more will be eligible to apply directly for Australian citizenship.
It will also apply to New Zealand citizens who are overseas but held a Special Category (Subclass 444) visa (SCV) immediately before last leaving Australia.
Before this announcement, New Zealand citizens were eligible for permanent residency if they arrived in Australia before a certain date and met certain requirements and were eligible for citizenship if they had first arrived in Australia on a specific date.
What else does this mean for New Zealand citizens?
With the new direct pathway to Australian citizenship, New Zealand citizens who are long-term residents in Australia will have their period of permanent residency backdated for citizenship purposes to meet the general residence requirement as set out in the Australian Citizenship Act 2007.
To meet the general residence requirement for citizenship, an applicant must be lawfully present in Australia for four years, including 12 months as a permanent resident, immediately before the date of application.
This is a major change for New Zealand citizens currently holding an SCV, particularly as this visa has restricted their ability to obtain citizenship without first obtaining permanent residency and previously increased their chances of being deported, given the threshold for the character test is lower for citizenship than for permanent residency.
Summary
In summary, effective from 1 July 2023:
- All New Zealand citizens holding an SCV will be considered permanent residents for citizenship purposes.
- All New Zealand citizens granted an SCV before 1 July 2022 will have their period of permanent residency for citizenship purposes backdated to 1 July 2022.
- All New Zealand citizens granted an SCV for the first time on or after 1 July 2022 will be considered permanent residents for citizenship purposes from the date of their SCV grant.
- All New Zealand citizens who have been living in Australia for 4 years or more will be eligible to apply for Australian Citizenship.
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