Become an Australian Citizen

Are you a New Zealander moving or living in Australia? Find out how to get the same benefits as an Australian.

New Zealand citizens with a valid New Zealand passport are able to move to Australia from New Zealand without having to apply for a visa. We apply and get granted a Special Category Visa 444 (SCV) simply by processing through border control. You must meet the character requirements, see below.

After you have been living in Australia for four years, you can apply to become an Australian citizen. We no longer need to apply for an Australian permanent visa (permanent resident) first.

Editor’s Note: I am not an immigration specialist and you still may need to contact one for advice. You can find out how to below.

Apply directly for Australian citizenship (by conferral)

From 1 July 2023, all SCV holders can apply directly for Australian citizenship (by conferral). You do not need to apply for and be granted a permanent visa first. Before you apply, you should check that you are eligible or read more below.

In this post you will find helpful information on:

• Special Category Visa (SCV)
• Special Category Visa Exclusions
• Australia Permanent Residency Options for New Zealanders
• Resident Return visa (subclasses 155 and 157)
• Requesting travel records
• Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) New Zealand stream
• Other Australian Permanent Residency Visa Options
• Australian Citizenship
• Becoming an Australian Citizen
• Permanent residents or New Zealand Citizens
• People 60 years or over who are Permanent Residents or New Zealand Citizens
• Your parent was an Australian citizen when you were born overseas
• Professional help from an immigration specialist

Special Category Visa (SCV)

As a New Zealand citizen, you will automatically be granted a Special Category Visa (SCV) on arrival (eligibility below). If you only plan to stay for a few months or years, you will not need to worry about becoming an Australian citizen. However, if your move is for the foreseeable future, then it is worth going through the process so you get the same benefits as Australian citizens.

Living in Australia on an SCV is fine until things don’t go according to plan and you need government support. Then you are up a creek without a paddle.

For your information, if you become an Australian Citizen, you should stay a New Zealand Citizen (dual citizenship) so you can move back to NZ whenever you want.

Special Category visa (SCV) eligibility:

• • You need to have a valid NZ passport.
  • Not be a behaviour concern non-citizen (imprisoned for periods that total over and including one year).
  • Not be a health concern non-citizen (have tuberculosis).
  • Not have a ‘no further stay’ visa condition (you can’t apply for this visa if you currently hold a visa that has a ‘no further stay’ condition).
  • There are no age requirements to get an SCV as an NZ citizen. 

Special Category Visa Exclusions

There are a number of exclusions to Government help that you should be aware of when moving to Australia on an SCV and newly arrived residents’ waiting periods for a lot of the government help you can get.

As a Kiwi, you are able to live and work in Australia, but if you can’t find work or get sick, you are on your own. The Government won’t help you like the NZ Government would. Also, if you have kids, they won’t be able to get an Australian student loan (unless they have lived in Australia for 10 years), which will make it hard to get a qualification if you can’t pay for it upfront.

You can read the full list of SCV exclusions here.

Australian Citizenship for New Zealand Citizens

On the 22nd of April 2023, Australia announced a new direct pathway to citizenship for eligible NZ citizens who have been living in Australia on a valid visa for 4 years immediately before the day they apply. You must not have been absent from Australia for more than 12 months in total in the past 4 years, including no more than 90 days in total in the 12 months immediately before applying.

The new law will apply to Kiwis on temporary, special category visas who have arrived since 2001 and lived in Australia for four years and meet the standard criteria for citizenship – such as an English test, demonstrating “adequate knowledge” of Australia, and including character checks and intention to reside in Australia.

The cost will be a standard processing fee of A$490 (about NZ$534), which is well below the current fees of over A$4000. For the list of citizenship fees, see Form 1298i – Citizenship application fees (159KB PDF).

For more information, read my new pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders in Australia post, which includes the full list of eligibility and requirements.

Australia Permanent Residency Options for New Zealanders

So, if you want to live in Australia but want the same rights as an Australian, then you will need to become an Australian PR and then an Australian Citizen.

Editor’s note: with the new pathway to Australian citizenship, you do not need to apply to become a permanent resident of Australia.

If you meet the other eligiblity requirements, including living in Australia for over four years, you will be considered an Australia permenant resident for citizenship purposes when applying for citizenship.

For more informatiom read my direct pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders in Australia post.

People can become a permanent resident of Australia in different ways. Three common ways of becoming a permanent resident are through gaining:

• a family-stream permanent visa
• a work-stream permanent visa
• business or investor-stream permanent visa

You will need to check that you meet our criteria before you apply for any visa. To find a visa that suits your needs, you can explore the visa options on the Australian Government website. 

Resident Return visa (subclasses 155 and 157)

If you visited Australia before 1 September 1994 and cleared customs, this is an easy and cheap visa to obtain as a New Zealand Citizen.

Australian Government description of the returning resident visa: if you leave Australia after your travel validity expires, or it expires when you are outside Australia, you will not be able to return to Australia as a permanent resident. This visa allows you to return as a permanent resident.

This visa costs AUD$410 if you apply online and AUD$490 for each applicant if you apply on paper. While it is unlikely for this visa, you might have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. We will advise you if these are required in your case.

It takes between 2 days and 67 days to process. Generally, applications that meet the residence requirements will be processed within 5 working days from lodgement.

You can request your travel records from the Australian government and check if you did enter Australia before 1 September 1994 (see below).

You can use the below links to find more information about this Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) NZ stream. Any further questions you have will be answered below:

• About this visa – https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/resident-return-visa-155-157#About
• Check your eligibility – https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/resident-return-visa-155-157#Eligibility
• Step-by-step process – https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/resident-return-visa-155-157#HowTo
• When you have this visa – https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/resident-return-visa-155-157#When
• Apply online now – https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login.

Requesting travel records

You can ask for a record of your specific dates of travel in and out of Australia (movement records) after 1981. See​ how to apply.

Note: For movements before January 1981, you will need to contact the ​National Archives of Australia.

They will not show the countries you travelled to or from.  If you need arrival or departure details for another country (not Australia), you will need to contact the relevant authority in that country.

Your movement records will show:

• Your departure and arrival dates in and out of Australia from 1981 to now
• If you were inside or outside of Australia for a certain period of time
• How many movements (arrivals and departures) are on record for the period covered by the request
• Name, date of birth, gender, country of birth​​
• Travel document numbers (i.e. the passport number used for travel)
• Port codes showing the Australian port of arrival or departure
• Flight or vessel details, such as flight number
• Visa subclass and expiry date at the time of travel.

Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) New Zealand stream

This visa allows eligible New Zealand citizens who have demonstrated commitment and contribution to Australia to live and work in Australia permanently.

With this visa, you can work and study anywhere in Australia, sponsor eligible family members for permanent residence, and, if eligible, become an Australian Citizen.

This visa costs AUD$ 4,115 for the main applicant. It is charged in two instalments (20% at the time of lodgement and 80% as a second instalment before you get granted the visa).

It takes between 10 and 16 months to process.

You will be able to apply for this visa if you are a New Zealander and:

• Arrived in Australia between the 26 February 2001 and 19 February 2016.
• Been living in Australia for the past five years when you apply.
• Meet and pass the health, character and security checks.
• In most cases, have a taxable income at or above a specific income threshold for each of the four completed income years prior to lodging an application.

You can use the below links to find more information about this Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) NZ stream. Any further questions you have should be answered below:

• See all conditions – https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/already-have-a-visa/check-visa-details-and-conditions/see-your-visa-conditions?product=189-62
• Check your eligibility – https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skilled-independent-189/new-zealand#Eligibility
• Step-by-step process – https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skilled-independent-189/new-zealand#HowTo
• Apply online now – https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login

Other Australian Permanent Residency Visa Options

There are other Australia Permanent Resident visa options apart from the above.

You can find all the Australian Permanent Resident visa options here: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/permanent-resident/visa-options.

If you are unsure which visa is right for you, use The Australian Government Visa Finder: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-finder.

Australian Citizenship

After you have become an Australian Permanent Resident and have lived in Australia for 12 months or more, you can apply for Australian Citizenship.

Becoming a citizen of Australia is the final legal step in your migration story. It is a process in which a non-Australian citizen voluntarily becomes an Australian citizen. Australian citizens pledge their loyalty to Australia and its people and are then entitled to its protection and exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

As an Australian citizen, you can:

• apply for an Australian passport
• leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you want
• ask for help from an Australian consulate if in trouble overseas
• vote in federal, state or territory elections
• vote in a Constitutional referendum or plebiscite
• seek election to parliament if you are aged 18 years or over and are not a dual citizen
• register the birth of your children in another country as an Australian citizen.

Becoming an Australian Citizen

You can become a citizen of Australia in different ways. You must meet the Australian Government criteria before you apply. Conferral and descent are the most common ways to apply:

• Permanent residents or New Zealand Citizens (by conferral) for people under 60 years old
• Permanent residents or New Zealand Citizens for persons 60 years or over (conferral)
• Your parent was an Australian citizen when you were born overseas (descent)

If you have been living in Australia on a valid visa (SCV) for more than four years (immediately before the day you apply), then you can use the new direct pathway to Australian citizenship. Read more here.

Permanent Residents or New Zealand Citizens

You can become an Australian Citizen if you are a permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen.

You are an eligible New Zealand citizen if you arrive in Australia with a New Zealand passport and are:

• here on 26 February 2001
• here for 12 months in the 2 years before 26 February 2001
• assessed as a protected Special Category visa (SCV) holder before 26 February 2004, or holding a Centrelink certificate issued before 26 February 2004 that states you were living here at a particular time

It costs AUD$285. There is no cost for a child under 16 years applying with a parent.

You can find further information and apply here.

People 60 years or over who are Permanent Residents or New Zealand Citizens

You can become an Australian Citizen if you are a permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen.

You are an eligible New Zealand citizen if you arrive in Australia with a New Zealand passport and are:

• in Australia on 26 February 2001 as a Special Category visa (444) holder, or
• outside Australia on 26 February 2001, but in the 2 years before that date, you were in Australia as a Special Category visa (subclass 444) holder for at least a year or
• holding a Centrelink certificate issued before 26 February 2004 that states you were living here at a particular time.

It costs AUD$180, AUD$20 for some concession holders. There is no cost for a child under 16 years applying with a parent.

You can find further information and apply here.

Your parent was an Australian citizen when you were born overseas

You could be eligible for Australian citizenship by descent if you:

• have been born outside Australia
• one (or both) of your parents at the time of your birth was also an Australian citizen at that time
• be of good character if you are 18 years old or older when you apply

It costs AUD$230, AUD$95 for each sibling who applies at the same time as you.

You can find further information and apply here.

Professional help from an immigration specialist

Specialist immigration companies save you time, money and stress when applying for a visa or citizenship. They are able to offer you professional advice and assistance when applying for Permanent Residency and Australian Citizenship.

You can find an immigration specialist on the Australian Government website, Migration Agents Registration Authority (https://www.mara.gov.au/). Search for an immigration professional specialising in Australia.

I recommend you check out IMMagine: http://www.immigration.co.nz/. They offer a free preliminary evaluation to establish which Visa category may suit you and whether it’s worth your while to order a comprehensive full assessment. Not many immigration companies do this. The next step is a full assessment, during which IMMagine will develop your detailed strategy, timeline, and pricing structure in person or on Skype. Naturally, a small cost applies to this full and comprehensive assessment.

You can also ask IMMagine your visa questions. For a small fee (AUD$15.00), you can post your question online, and one of the IMMagine team will contact you with your answer within 24 hours (usually same-day response). This service is designed for people who need quick access to accurate information but don’t want to trawl through the internet to find the answers or commit to anything just yet. Most importantly, your questions are answered by licensed advisers living in New Zealand or Australia.

About IMMagine

For nearly 30 years, IMMagine Australia and New Zealand have assisted migrants from all over the globe in moving to and settling in these two great countries.

Since 1990, they have delivered residence in both countries to close to 30,000 people, with a success rate of more than 99 per cent, and are acknowledged as leaders in this profession on both sides of the Tasman Sea.

They understand the process of migration at a personal level and are not in the business of simply telling you what forms to fill in and lodge; they go beyond that. They become your allies and advocates and represent you to the Australian or New Zealand government in the most professional manner, leaving nothing to chance.

What are you waiting for? Complete a free preliminary evaluation and establish which Visa category may suit you and whether your dream of moving to Australia can become reality: http://www.immigration.co.nz/assessments/free-evaluation/.

You might be interested in…

The below posts might interest you:

• Australian Visa
• Moving to Australia Process
• Jobs in Australia

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