● They were in Australia for 4 years immediately before the day they applied for citizenship, and● They weren’t unlawful during that 4 year period, and● They were in Australia as a permanent resident for 12 months immediately before the day they applied for citizenship

Becoming an Australian citizen grants you access to an exclusive club with a number of privileges. Australian Citizenship is one of the most sought after and desired citizenships in the world and is the result of Australia being one of the most multicultural places on Earth. You can stay outside Australia as long as you want. You do not need to apply for a Resident Return Visa to re-enter the country.
You are also entitled to consular and embassy assistance abroad.
Where permanent residents can lose their status if they spend long periods of time outside of the country or if they commit certain crimes, Australian citizenship is not easily revoked once you gain it.
The ability to stay in Australia permanently as well as choosing to leave and return as you wish
Vote – shape the country’s futureAustralian citizenship gives you the right to vote in federal, state or territory elections, as well as council elections and national referendums. In fact, voting is mandatory for Australian citizens.
Defer university feesYou maybe eligible to defer your education fees under the Higher Education Loan Program.
Apply for government jobsMost Australian Defence Force or public service positions require you to be an Australian citizen.
Your children can become citizensAfter becoming an Australian citizen any of your children born overseas can be registered as Australian citizens too, giving them the same rights as children born in Australia.
Become a parliamentarianAs a citizen you can become a member of Federal Parliament, however, you can not hold dual citizenship unless you can show you’ve made every effort to have your other nationality revoked.
Represent AustraliaMany international sporting and cultural events require participants representing Australia to be Australian citizens.
Greater access to New Zealand and US work permitsAs an Australian citizen you have full residence rights in New Zealand without any time limit constraint or risk of losing those rights.Australian citizens with professional jobs have access to a simplified work visa for the United States.
Adopt a childSome states and territories require one or both parents to be Australian citizens to adopt a child.
This notion is clearly shown in the statistics as well, since the time Australian Citizenship was introduced in 1949, over 5 million people have become citizens. According to the Department of Home Affairs, 140,748 people became citizens by conferral in 2020-21 alone, representing over 200 different nationalities demonstrating the large demand for people from all over the world wanting to settle in Australia.

The number of people who became Australian citizens in the year to June 30, 2014. Click here to find out which countries they came from.

Source: Australian Government

The pass rate of people who sit the citizenship test. Vietnamese and Chinese have the highest failure rates by former nationality, at 4.1 per cent and 1.8 per cent respectively.

Check your eligibility

The Australian government has an excellent online tool called Citizenship Wizard

Phone: +61 2 9635 5333Fax: +61 2 9633 3677Email: ua.moc.walsagir%40ofni

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