How to Calculate Your Australian Citizenship Residency Requirements?
How can I know whether I have met the residence requirements for Australian Citizenship?
The Residence Calculator is a tool designed to help you estimate the number of days you have lived in Australia, which is essential for determining your eligibility for Australian citizenship by conferral.
What are the General Residence Requirements?
To be eligible for Australian citizenship by conferral, you must meet the following conditions:
Living in Australia: You must have lived in Australia on a valid visa for 4 years immediately before the day you apply.
Permanent Residency: You must have held a permanent visa or a Special Category (subclass 444) visa for the last 12 months immediately before your application.
Absences:
You must not have been absent from Australia for over 12 months in the past 4 years.
You must not have been absent for more than 90 days in the 12 months immediately before applying.
If you hold a Special Category visa (SCV), you will continue to be considered a permanent resident for citizenship purposes while outside Australia, provided you held the SCV immediately before your departure.
How to Use the Residence Calculator?
To effectively use the Residence Calculator to calculate the number of days you lived in Australia, you will need to input specific dates related to your residency and travel:
Permanent Residence Date:
The date your permanent residency started. This is usually the date your permanent visa was granted while you were in Australia or the date you first entered Australia on a permanent visa.
Lawful Residence Date:
The date when you first started living in Australia on a valid visa. If you are unsure, you can estimate this date as long as it is more than four years ago.
Example:
Arrived on a temporary visa: 1 May 2012
Granted permanent visa: 4 August 2016
Lawful residence date: 1 May 2012
Permanent residence date: 4 August 2016
Intended Lodgement Date:
The date you plan to submit your application for Australian citizenship.
Travel Dates:
Enter all details of travel in and out of Australia over the last 4 years. This includes any future travel plans.
Entering Travel Details
Use the "Add details" option to enter your travel dates accurately. Ensure that you enter each travel instance in chronological order.
If you have future travel plans before lodging your application, include those dates as well.
Requesting International Movement Records
You can request your international movement records to obtain specific dates related to your travel in and out of Australia. There is no charge to make this request.
How Can Agape Henry Crux Help You?
If you do not meet the residency requirement and you wish to apply for citizenship, you may apply for special consideration. Speak with one of our immigration lawyers or Accredited Specialist(s) in Immigration Law by booking a Migration Planning Session for professional advice. You can also call us at 02-8310-5230 or email us to book a time at info@ahclawyers.com.
We speak fluent English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Malay. If these aren’t your language, we can also help you arrange an interpreter.
This article/presentation (“publication”) does not deal extensively with important topics or changes in law and is not intended to be relied upon as a substitute for legal or other advice that may be relevant to the reader's specific circumstances. If you find this publication of interest and would like to know more or wish to obtain legal advice relevant to your circumstances, please contact our office.