Permanent Residency and Citizenship Visa Australia
If you hold a visa to work or study in Australia, you may consider making Australia your permanent residence. To do so, you must first seek permanent residency. Once granted, there are no limitations on the length of your stay, and you will have access to all of the same services and privileges as Australian citizens.
After obtaining permanent residency, you may wish to explore applying for citizenship. Citizenship visa Australia does not compel you to give up citizenship in your native country since you can have dual citizenship in specific circumstances. However, your birth nation may force you to give up your citizenship rights in that country.
Many of the rights of a permanent resident are the same as those of a citizen, but there are some distinctions. Citizens have an automatic right of admission into Australia. However, permanent residents do not and must have a valid travel authorization. Permanent residents do not have the right to vote, although citizens do.
Permanent Residency VS Citizenship
If you have permanent residency in Australia, you have a visa that permits you to stay in the country eternally. If your visa enables you to stay for a limited period, such as a student or work visa, you must apply for permanent residency separately.
Your permanent residency will begin on the day you arrive in Australia (if you acquired your visa overseas) or on the date your visa was granted (if you applied onshore).
Professional or Skilled Migrants
If you are a professional or skilled migrant, you can seek permanent residency by getting a Skilled Regional Visa, also known as a subclass 887 visa. To qualify, you must:
- Having resided in a certain regional area for at least two years or have received sponsorship under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme
- Having worked in that specific geographical area for at least 12 months, and
- Presently possess a Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 489), a Skilled Regional Visa (subclasses 475 or 487), a Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 495), or a Skilled Designated Area Visa (subclass 496).
Eligibility for Citizenship
If you have permanent residency in Australia, meet the residency criteria, and are of good character, you may be able to apply for citizenship visa Australia. When New Zealanders come to Australia, they are immediately granted a special category visa that permits them to stay permanently, but this does not qualify them for citizenship.
Applying for Citizenship
To apply for citizenship, you must be at least 18 years old. Children under this age are considered in their parents’ application.
The citizenship application form differs based on your age and health. Form 1290 is used for anyone under the age of 18 or above 60, with a permanent or likely permanent bodily or mental handicap, or with serious impairment in hearing, sight, or speech. All other candidates must complete Form 1300t.
Becoming a Citizen
You will be required to take a citizenship exam following your citizenship application. The exam has 20 questions, and you must answer 75% correctly. Following the approval of your application, you will be expected to attend a citizenship ceremony where you will make the citizenship promise or affirmation. This is to declare or confirm your allegiance to Australia publicly.
Dual citizenship is permitted for all Australian citizens. However, it is prohibited in other nations. If this is the case, you will lose your present citizenship in your native country when you become an Australian citizen.
If your kid is born in Australia, they are not immediately an Australian citizen unless one of their parents is a citizen or permanent resident of Australia. This implies that having a kid in Australia while on a temporary visa or vacation will not provide you or your child the ability to settle here permanently.
However, if the kid stays in Australia until their tenth birthday, regardless of their parent’s visa status, they will be considered an Australian citizen.
Children born in another country whose parent is an Australian citizen are immediately granted citizenship by descent.
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A permanent resident enjoys many of the same rights as a citizen, but some distinctions exist. Citizens have an automatic right of admission into Australia; permanent residents do not and must have a valid travel authorization. Citizens have the right to vote, whereas permanent residents do not.
Also Read: What Do You Need for an Australian Permanent Residency?