New Zealanders living in Australia get fast-track to citizenship under new scheme
More than 350,000 Kiwis living in Australia will be given a fast track route to citizenship under changes to be announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
NSW
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More than 350,000 Kiwis living in Australia will be given a fast track route to citizenship under changes to be announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
From July 1, New Zealanders who have been in Australia for more than four years will be able to apply directly to be naturalised without having to become permanent residents first.
Since 2001, Kiwis entering Australia under the special category visas open only to them have had the right to work in Australia but have been excluded from receiving welfare.
To obtain citizenship they needed to apply for permanent residence through the migration program which, owing to delays in processing, can take up to 18 months and cost thousands of dollars.
Under the new system, any New Zealander who has lived here for four years and meets other normal eligibility requirements will be able to apply directly for citizenship.
Around 670,000 New Zealand citizens live in Australia, with the government estimating more than 350,000 are affected by the new rules.
The changes come after the government abandoned plans floated last year that would have given Kiwis the right to vote in Australian elections.
That proposal, which was opposed by the Liberal Party, hit the fence after constitutional experts warned it would almost certainly be challenged in the High Court.
On Sunday Mr Albanese will host his Kiwi counterpart Chris Hipkins at an Australian Citizenship Ceremony in Brisbane.
“Australia and New Zealand have a deep friendship, which has been forged through our history, shared values and common outlook,” Mr Albanese said.
“As we mark the 50th anniversary of the trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, I look forward to strengthening our relationship.”
“We know that many New Zealanders are here on a special category visa while raising families, working and building their lives in Australia.
“So I am proud to offer the benefits that citizenship provides.”
Melbourne air traffic controller Oliver Anderson has lived in Australia since 2006 and his wife and children are Australian citizens.
He said the $8000 he had been told it would cost to get permanent residency had put him off applying, along with the years it could take for to be processed.
“I’m looking forward to hearing the details on any change, hoping it will be cheaper and more timely,” he said.
He said the ability to obtain citizenship would open a wider range of job opportunities in his current workplace, which in some cases are only open to citizens with a security clearance.
“I’ve been here 17 years but if I lost my job I’d get no benefits despite paying taxes,” he said.
Gold Coast nurse Lilian Bila, 37, who has lived in Australia since she was 21, said the change was fair, and “considering how easy it is for Australians to become New Zealand citizens, it should be reciprocated”.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said it was important the bond between Australians and New Zealanders was reflected in the way we treated Kiwis who choose stay here.
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Originally published as New Zealanders living in Australia get fast-track to citizenship under new scheme
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