Australia’s Department of Home Affairs outlined the two specific visa types that qualify holders to apply for citizenship by conferralApplicants must have lived in Australia on a valid visa for 4 years before applying, with strict limits on time spent outside the countryThe Special Category subclass 444 visa holds a unique status, allowing holders to be treated as permanent residents even while outside AustraliaPAY ATTENTION: Mark Legit.ng as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has outlined the two visa types that foreign nationals must hold to become eligible for citizenship by conferral, offering a clear pathway for those looking to make Australia their permanent home.According to the department’s official residence requirements, the two qualifying visa types are a permanent visa and the Special Category (subclass 444) visa, also known as the SCV. Australia publishes guidance on citizenship by conferral. Photo credit: Anadolu/ Getty Images, The Australian. Source: UGCBoth carry specific conditions that determine how close an applicant is to meeting the residential threshold for citizenship.The 2 Visa Types ExplainedA permanent visa is the more common route.
To qualify for citizenship, an applicant must have held a permanent visa for at least 12 months immediately before the date they submit their citizenship application. PAY ATTENTION: From breaking news to viral moments. Follow Legit.ng on Instagram!This must also fall within a broader requirement of four continuous years of lawful residence in Australia on a valid visa, during which the applicant cannot have spent more than 12 months outside the country in total, and no more than 90 days outside Australia in the final 12 months before applying.The Special Category (subclass 444) visa is specifically available to New Zealand citizens. What makes this visa particularly notable is that holders are treated as permanent residents for citizenship purposes, even when they are outside Australia, provided they held the SCV immediately before departing the country.
This means SCV holders do not lose their permanent residency standing simply by travelling abroad.How the Residence Requirement WorksThe Australian Department of Home Affairs provides a Residence Calculator to help applicants estimate how many days they have spent in Australia. The tool requires applicants to input their permanent residence start date, their lawful residence start date, their intended application date, and all travel in and out of Australia over the past four years.Lawful residence refers to the date a person first began living in Australia on any valid visa, including temporary ones. For example, a person who arrived on a temporary visa in June 2012 and was later granted a permanent visa in September 2016 would count June 2012 as the start of their lawful residence and September 2016 as the start of their permanent residence.The department notes that results from the Residence Calculator serve as a guide only. The final assessment of residential eligibility is based on data held within departmental systems at the time an application is lodged, not on figures entered into the calculator.Exemptions, discretions, and special circumstances may also apply in certain cases.
New Zealand citizens holding either the SCV or a New Zealand stream Skilled Independent (subclass 189) visa are also subject to specific changes regarding when their permanent residency commencement date is counted, and are advised to check their eligibility separately through the department’s official portal.Australia lists occupations for core skills visaMeanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Australia published the complete occupational list for its Core Skills visa, covering 456 roles across dozens of sectors.The list spans professions from medicine, engineering, and ICT to trades such as welding, plumbing, and carpentry. Source: Legit.ng Ankrah Shalom (Human-Interest editor) Shalom Ankrah is a journalist and a Human Interest Editor at Legit.ng with over six years of experience. She has a degree in Mass communication from Alex Ekwueme University. Shalom has worked with reputable news organizations including The Tide and GistReel.
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