As everyone might be aware, the term ‘Australian Citizenship’ didn’t exist before 1949. The people of this continent were referred as ‘British citizens’ till then. The law, which was passed in 1948, named all the people who born in the country as citizens of Australia. Now, let’s understand about the term here in detail as provided by the research team in our company One Visa http://www.one-visa.com . Just read on…
Why should we consider this?
The citizenship is an important milestone in migration and becoming a citizen of this wonderland would mean that you going for a long-term relationship with the country. It’s through this milestone that a person can be called as a citizen and would pave a way for the formal entry into the community. This way, you can earn various privileges including the right to:
- Vote
- Apply for work in a government sector
- Apply for the country’s passport
- Register children as citizens of the country
Not only the privileges you would have the following responsibilities:
- Complying with the country’s laws
- Defending the country
- Serving on a jury
- Voting in elections
Eligibility Check:
You will be eligible to apply for the citizenship if you are living in the country for the past 4 years which includes the past one year as a PR.
Applying for Citizenship:
There are various options to apply depending upon the individual’s situation. The options can be found at the following link:
http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Citi/pathways-processes/application-options
Here, I would brief about applying as a migrant with a PR. To apply under this category, you must be a PR and must meet the requirements. Most importantly, you must intend to live in the country or intend to maintain a long lasting relationship with the country.
The documents to submit include the identities. You must submit totally three sets bearing your photo and sign. Your residential address, name, DOB, and sex also should be there. For online applications, you must download the FORM-1195 for the identity declaration.
Not only are your identities sufficient but also good character documents are needed. This will be needed if you’ve stayed or traveled to any other country after 18 years or have spent in other countries for more than a year.
Apart from these, the applicant must also submit some supporting documents. Note that, if the documents are in other scripts, you must translate them into English.
Applying Procedure:
There are two ways to apply: online and paper applications. The online applications will not be accepted in case you are seeking a concession/exemption. In such cases, only paper applications are accepted. As such, there are two different forms like 1300t and 1290. The former is for the general applications for the 18 to 59 years old applicants. The latter is for other applicants with special needs.
Once you have applied, you will receive an invite for a test plus interview. The final decision will be made by the authorities after this. You need to pay 285 Australian dollars as a fee for this process although concessions could be applied.