About a month and a half ago, I became a full-fledged Australian citizen. For most migrants and expats like myself, finally getting that ever-coveted Australian citizenship is a dream come true.
But how does one become Australian? What are the necessary steps that you need to take so that one day you can be a full-fledged Aussie? In this post, I will outline the basic steps that will guide you to get your Australian citizenship.
Australian Citizenship by conferral
Becoming an Australian citizen by conferral is the most common way of getting your Australian citizenship. This happens once you pass the eligibility requirements, have your citizenship test, and finally take your oath.
There are other ways, of course, and if you would like to read more about them, you may read through Home Affair’s website here.
Eligibility requirements
One of the basic requirements to getting your Australian citizenship is that you should be a Permanent Resident for at least a year. In my opinion, this is the hardest requirement to fulfill. This is because most migrants who come to Australia have absolutely zero idea about PR Pathways and how to become a permanent resident.
Becoming a permanent resident is a whole different story and is very meticulous and complicated. I will not be discussing it here because it deserves its own post. I may or may not post about it later. Bottom line is, if you want to become an Australian citizen, getting your PR status is the first step.
I’m already a PR
You’re a Permanent Resident, congratulations! That’s fantastic.
Now that you’re a PR, you have to wait for at least a year before you can apply for citizenship interview and test. Aside from that, you have to be living in Australia for at least four years, regardless of status, including the one year you’re a PR.
To make it easy to understand, here are some examples:
Example #1:
- Arrival/lawful residence date in Australia: 16th August 2018
- Visa status on arrival: Student Visa
- Permanent Residency date: 22nd February 2022
- Citizenship eligibility date: 22nd February 2023
Example #2:
- Arrival/lawful residence date in Australia: 1st June 2016
- Visa status on arrival: Student Visa
- Permanent Residency date: 19th October 2021
- Citizenship eligibility date: 19th October 2022
Example #3:
- Arrival/lawful residence date in Australia: 20th March 2019
- Visa status on arrival: Permanent Resident
- Citizenship eligibility date: 20th March 2023
To make things easy for you, Home Affairs created a residency calculator which you can easily use here.
Other requirements
Other requirements such as age, language, and character requirements are fairly easy to fulfill. Read more about them here.
Lodging your Australian Citizenship application
Once you have fulfilled all necessary requirements, it’s time to apply for citizenship. This is the easy part.
To apply, simply log in to your Online Immigration account and lodge a citizenship application. You will be asked to upload necessary documents, mostly confirming your identity (birth certificate, passport, and visa grant notice). After that, you will be required to pay the citizenship application fee of AUD490.
Now that you have lodged your application, all you have to do next is wait for the email from Home Affairs inviting you to have your interview and test. This could take between 6-12 months from date of application.
Once you receive your letter of invitation, you will have up to three weeks to prepare for the citizenship test.
The Australian Citizenship Test
Before you are granted citizenship, you will be tested to see how much you know about Australia, its people, geography, history, culture, and political structure. This may seem a lot and a wee bit overwhelming but don’t worry, the test is fairly easy.
The test format is multiple choice and has 20 questions all in all. In order to pass, you must get a rate of 75% (maximum 5 mistakes) and you must get all 5 questions about Australian values correctly.
Preparing for the test
To make sure that you pass the test with flying colours, you must familiarise yourself with all the things that’s important to Australia. Luckily, you don’t have to get a full course on Australian history and geography. There are online practice test sites and mobile apps that are made for this purpose. Feel free to download the app of your choice and practice, practice, practice.
Interview and Test
Make sure to dress appropriately on the day of your interview. You don’t have to wear a tuxedo or a gown but at the very least, be presentable. Most importantly: don’t be late. But don’t be too early as well. You will only be allowed to get inside the building 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment.
IMPORTANT: Make sure to read the email that was sent to you very carefully so that you are 100% sure of the time and place of the interview.
The interview is actually just a final confirmation of your identity. You will also be asked to present the ORIGINAL documents that you uploaded on your application.
NOTE: Certified true photocopies will not be accepted.
Once you have finished the interview, you will be led to a room with computers where you will take the test. You will find out whether you have passed or failed immediately after the test.
One last step – taking your oath
After successfully passing the Australian citizenship test, there is only one last thing left to do: taking your oath of allegiance to Australia.
Taking your oath can happen between 3 to 6 months from your Australian Citizenship test. You will receive an email invitation from your local council with the date on when to take your oath. If, for some reason, you are not available on the date that they have set for you, you may ask them to move the date at a later time.
NOTE: there is a one-year time limit of taking the oath from the day you passed your citizenship test
Taking your oath of allegiance is a solemn ceremony and a very important day. Treat it as such. This is the day that you finally become an Australian – something that most people and most migrants can only dream of. Your attire and your punctuality must reflect its importance to you.
What’s next?
Now that you are a full-fledged Aussie, you are required to enroll on the electorate roll. In case you didn’t know, voting in Australia is MANDATORY. It is a civic right and a civic duty that only Australian citizens have the privilege of exercising.
Lastly, you may apply for an Australian passport. Passport processing fee starts from AUD155 and application can be done online. However, you still need to present yourself and the necessary documents to any participating AU Post office. Read more about it here.
So that’s it! That’s the whole process. I hope I did not miss anything. If I did or if you have any questions, please let me know and write it in the comments below.
Best of luck with your Aussie journey!
Update 07/04/2022:
ERRATUM: the original article stated that you can pick your interview date and test during citizenship application. This is incorrect. Instead, Home Affairs will send you an email 6-12 months from date of application informing you of your interview and citizenship test date.