Australian Citizenship Changes 2017

Just when we all thought it couldn’t get any more confusing, the Government has made changes to the Australian Citizenship requirements as of April 20, 2017.

The following changes have commenced with immediate effect:

• Increasing the general residence requirement, which means an applicant for Australian citizenship will need to demonstrate a minimum of four years permanent residence immediately prior to their application for citizenship
• Introducing an English language test, which means applicants will need to demonstrate competent English language listening, speaking, reading and writing skills before being able to sit the citizenship test
• Strengthening the Australian Values Statement to include reference to allegiance to Australia and require applicants to make an undertaking to integrate into and contribute to the Australian community
• Strengthening the test for Australian citizenship through the addition of new test questions about Australian values, and the privileges and responsibilities of Australian citizenship
• Introducing a requirement for applicants to demonstrate their integration into the Australian community
• Strengthening the Pledge of commitment as a citizen of the Commonwealth of Australia in the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 to refer to allegiance to Australia; and extending the requirement for individuals aged 16 years and over to make the Pledge to all streams of citizenship by application, including citizenship by descent, adoption and resumption.

As mentioned the effect is immediate which means that any applications made on or after 20 April 2017 are subject to the above rules.

Should you have any questions or want to discuss further please do not hesitate to get in touch.