Obtaining and registering Australian citizenship

Many of our fellow citizens are attracted by Australia as a place for permanent residence - a country of kangaroos and crocodiles, with a warm climate and sea breeze. In addition to the nature and climatic conditions, Russian emigrants are attracted to Australia by high salaries, the absence of corruption and bureaucratic delays, cleanliness, high-quality and inexpensive products, and social guarantees.

Basic Australian Citizenship Law

Citizenship law in Australia began its history in 1948, then it was rewritten, supplemented and expanded many times. Since this year, the government has tightened and expanded a number of requirements, in particular, the test that emigrants must pass on the way to the coveted Australian passport has been expanded and complicated.

If just a year ago it was necessary to answer 60% of all questions about the culture, legislation and customs of the country, today the so-called passing score is 75% of correct answers in English. The period of compulsory permanent residence in Australia has also expanded - from one year to four years.

The number of attempts to obtain citizenship in accordance with the legislation of the country is limited to three, after which the opportunity to undergo the procedure will be excluded.

Bans on Australian citizenship

The legislation establishes a list of people who simply do not have the opportunity to become a citizen of the country.

These categories include:

• Persons under 18 who independently wish to send an application;
• Failure to pass the English exam;
• Have not resided permanently in Australia for the past 4 years;
• Convicted under various articles.

Among other things, everyone should be adapted to local conditions, that is:

• Have a place of residence, permanent job and earnings;
• Excellent knowledge of the English language and culture, traditions of the state;
• Read and obey local laws.

Types of official obtaining an Australian passport

There are many opportunities to obtain citizenship by legal means, but the main types include:

1. By award;
2. Birth;
3. By adoption;
4. By origin.

The first category includes the most common type - naturalization. This is a legal way to become a citizen due to long-term legal residence in the country.

It is also necessary to keep all documents prescribing stay in the country in order to provide them upon request to the departments of the relevant authorities of the country. Moreover, the legislation stipulates that out of four years of settlement it is necessary to stay in the status of a permanent resident for at least one year.

Citizen by birth and descent

Since August 1986, all children born in Australia, where at least one of the parents is already a citizen of the country, can apply for citizenship upon birth. If both parents are not filed by the state, then the child can apply for him only after 10 years, on the condition that he has lived all this time in Australia and is not a child of diplomats who live and carry out a diplomatic mission in another country.

If at least one parent is a citizen of the country, then even if the baby was born in another country, he becomes a citizen by birth.

As a result of marriage

This method is under the special control of the migration services, which carefully monitor the relationship of future or current spouses before issuing passports. Therefore, everyone who decided to obtain citizenship under this scheme should be prepared for the fact that the authorities will scrupulously check the relationship for fiction.

Citizens in this regard must have evidence:

• Joint photographs at different periods of the relationship;
• Letters or postcards to each other;
• Checks for joint purchases or general trips to restaurants;
• Testimony of witnesses of the relationship.

If the wife is already arriving as a spouse, then the husband must:

Confirm your ability to pay and the ability to provide for her and the child, if any, for a period of 24 months;

Have a living space of the appropriate size and quality for living together.

If a woman moves in the status of a bride, then the newlyweds are allowed to think for 9 months, the authenticity of the relationship is checked, and immediately after the wedding, you can apply for a residence permit, two years later - for permanent residence, and then two years later - for citizenship.

This method of obtaining a passport has several advantages:

1. There are no requirements for knowledge of English;
2. Education is not important;
3. The profession is not indicated;
4. The level of income of the future spouse is not important.

Entering the country of the significant other must be supported by proof of the length of the relationship.

By naturalization

Naturalization includes various types of obtaining citizenship, the main thing is compliance with the basic rules, in particular:

• Residence for four years, of which one is in permanent resident status;
• Timely submission of documents;
• Passing a written test of knowledge of Australian history.

Acquisition of property, investment is not exempt from the exam, which becomes more difficult every year.

For investment

If an emigrant has net assets of 1 million US dollars or more, then he receives a special type of visa - an investor visa, subclass 188, in which there are five types, on the basis of which the application is submitted. Amounts range from AU $ 200,000 up to 15 million.

You will also have to wait for your passport for at least 4 years. The tightening of the rules for this program has led the Australian government to very carefully consider each type of investment, and some of them require additional documents and approval from officials.

Moreover, notification of the government about its investment plans has become mandatory in the country, failure to comply with this can lead to civil and criminal liability.

Other methods

Asylum

In accordance with the UN Convention, which Australia has signed, it is obliged to host national, racial, social and other refugees. There are six different visas for this category of displaced persons, and they do not include criminal or economic reasons for resettlement. Limiting the number of quota places could force the government to redirect the refugee to another country.

An application for asylum can be submitted in your country at the Australian Embassy, ​​also upon arrival in the country itself, even with a tourist visa. If such a request is not submitted, then stay in the country will be considered illegal, which is severely punished by local laws - up to and including sending to camps on the islands and imprisonment.

Family reunification

If there are relatives in the state, then you can use this program. Those who have relatives in the country who have sufficient living space, residence permit (permanent residence), material confirmed income are especially likely.

In this case, under this program, the following can legally move:

• Children;
• Spouses;
• Parents;
• Sisters and brothers.

Having provided an application form, a passport and a copy of the passport of an Australian relative, as well as a document confirming health and no criminal record, you can expect permission to enter with further citizenship.

Adopt a child and make him a citizen

All adopted or adopted children from other countries will receive citizenship if their adoptive parents or guardians are Australian citizens. It is necessary to find out all the nuances of this procedure with the local authorities.

Education

If you want to get a paid education in the country, you can get an appropriate visa. And after graduation - a place of work and a guaranteed year of legal stay. After that, there is an opportunity to start the procedure for obtaining citizenship.

To be able to study at one of the universities, it is more advisable to first enroll in one-year specialized courses - Foundation or Diploma.

Employment

Arriving on a work visa without an Australian diploma implies being in demand in this state.

Australia awaits:

• Scientists;
• Doctors;
• Scientists of various specializations;
• Pharmacists;
• Engineers;
• Power engineers.

Handymen are not required in this country, except for seasonal work on farms and horticultural agricultural enterprises, and it will be difficult for an employer to justify why he took an emigrant, and not a local worker.

In what cases is dual citizenship possible?

Since 2002, the legislation allows at the same time to be citizens of another state, if it is also not prohibited in it. For example, the legislation of the Russian Federation does not prevent the presence of two passports, so our compatriots can obtain dual citizenship for themselves.

If the other side does not welcome dual citizenship, then you should not get it in Australia, it is enough to remain a permanent resident - the rights and opportunities are practically the same. To do this, you need to legally live for at least 2 years, having a permanent visa permit. There is no such problem for Russian emigrants.

Procedure and mechanisms

Having issued a visa in accordance with the reasons for moving, on arrival you need to contact the consulate and migration services, which will allow you to stay legally on the territory for a certain time. After 24 months of legal residence with a permanent visa, it is possible to obtain a residence permit in Australia.

A foreigner must have:

• Registration;
• Fixed income;
• Place of work.

It should be borne in mind that within four years it is necessary to be absent from the state for no more than a year, and during the last year - no more than ninety days.

When applying for a visa, one must understand that a tourist visa cannot be employed, start studies and legally stay in the country for more than the period indicated in the voucher. The only exception can be refugees, but for this they need to confirm their status with certain documents.

After that, it becomes possible to apply for civil status. The application can be filled out and sent online with a prepayment of $ 120. You can also come to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection with a receipt for payment of the required fees.

If the application is accepted into production, then you should prepare for the test, which will be scheduled for a certain time, which will be sure to be notified.

These exams do not apply to:

• Minor children;
• Seniors over 60 years old.

Perhaps, after the written exam, it will be necessary to communicate with representatives of the migration service in English to confirm the level of the oral language.

Within 3 months, the applicant will be notified of the results of the granting of citizenship. If the decision is positive, then in the presence of the Minister of Immigration, in a solemn atmosphere, on a certain date, the person will receive a passport.

What documents to prepare

The main list includes documents:

• Certificate of no criminal record;
• Test results;
• Health certificate;
• Documents confirming solvency;
• Identity document;
• Copies of all pages of the passport, certified by a notary;
• Photos of a specific sample;
• Military ID;
• Medical insurance document;
• For a work visa - an employment contract with an employer.

Depending on the situation, the migration services have the right to request other documents, for example:

• Explanatory information about why the children or spouse are not traveling;
• Certificate of marriage, divorce, adoption, death of the second half;
• Permission to export children and so on.

Where to apply when applying for citizenship? Step-by-step instruction

1. Visa application. By writing a letter to the Immigration Department, state the request for a "return" visa. After receiving it, enter Australia. It can be a visa of any type, but in the aggregate, the legal stay for all types of visas in the territory is at least four years. In the last year, the status of the applicant must be “resident with permanent visa”;
2. No criminal record and compliance with the terms of absence in the country - no more than a year in total;
3. Submitting a petition. In person or on the Internet, it is filed in the prescribed form, a fee is paid (5400 Russian rubles);
4. Testing. You can clarify the form of passing the exam in the local migration authorities;
5. Citizenship Ceremony. No later than 90 days later, a written notification of the results of the granting of the status of a citizen will be sent. In case of a positive decision, the place and time of the solemn ceremony of presenting the passport will be determined. It can be different - thick (66 pages) - for travel lovers and 37 pages - for those who will spend most of their time in their new homeland.

In what time frame and at what price

The process of obtaining citizenship takes a maximum of three months. During the registration period, you will need to make mandatory fees:

• State duty - $ 120;
• Translation of documents;
• Certification by a notary;
• Passing the test - $ 300-360;
• Honey. help - within USD 340

The total amount for obtaining citizenship will vary from $ 700 to $ 800.

When they can refuse

You can get a refusal for various reasons:

• Unclaimed specialty on a work visa;
• Insufficient qualifications - on a work visa;
• Unconfirmed income - under the investment program;
• No evidence - marriage;
• There is no prepayment for the year of study - according to the education program;
• There are not enough documents for the family reunification program and so on.

If a visa application is denied, the procedure can be repeated in a year, taking into account experience. The reasons for refusal can be:

• Failure to comply with the regime of presence in the country;
• Having a criminal record;
• The presence of mental illness;
• Uncertainty of documents;
• Lack of documents;
• Failure to pay the state duty;
• Late submission of documents and so on.

The state gives the right to apply for citizenship again in a year. The maximum number of re-feeds is three.

Informal ways are a crime

Anyone who tries to circumvent the laws of Australia is prosecuted and deported. Such people are subject to eviction to special places for illegal immigrants - Australian Detention Centers, with further deportation from the country.

Recently, there has been an increase in the punishment of persons facilitating the illegal entry of foreigners:

• Deprivation of liberty for a term of 5 to 20 years (from 8 to 20 years in case of repeated violation of the law);
• Recovery of a fine in the amount of USD 220 thousand.

Thus, it is more advisable to be a legal immigrant and live in this beautiful, more favorable country legally, choosing an acceptable path of emigration to Australia.