On 20 April 2017, the Australian Government announced the strengthening of requirements for Australian citizenship. On 18 October 2017, the Government proposed citizenship amendments to the legislation so only applications lodged on and after 1 July 2018 will be assessed against the new criteria, subject to the passage of legislation…
A new Bill was introduced into Parliament for its first reading on 17 June 2017 which proposes significant changes to the current Citizenship Act 2007. The Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Requirements for Australian Citizenship and Other Measures) Bill 2017 proposes a number of amendments, including proposals to strengthen requirements…
In a sweeping review of Australia’s citizenship requirements Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced today (20 April 2017) that there will be a greater emphasis on Australian values, a demonstrated capacity to integrate into the Australian Community, greater English language skills, more detailed evaluation of a person’s criminal record and longer…
From the 13th of March 2017, global visa and citizenship application processing times will be available online for the first time. As part of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s ongoing efforts to improve client information, the publishing of current visa and citizenship processing times will give people more…
A person’s character is a significant issue when a person applies for an Australian visa or Australian citizenship. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s (DIBP) website correctly points out that “Entering or remaining is Australia is a Privilege, and it is expected that non-citizens are, and have been, law…
New Zealanders who have lived and worked in Australia for five years or more will get easier access to citizenship under a new deal. An Australian government amnesty will open the door to citizenship for between 60,000 to 100,000 Kiwi expats living and working across the Tasman. The move was…