The system which governs the operation of Australian Citizenship is quite complicated and id governed by the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Cth). Obviously, you can become a citizen of Australia by birth or decent, or even by being born on a ship flying an Australian flag in international waters. For people without links to Australian citizenship by decent, the process of citizenship is slightly more complicated. There is a point system which is designed to test the level of connectedness which a person has to Australian society and points can be gained through the accumulation of university study, work experience, English language competency, having an Australian family although not of decent. The aggregate amount of time spent living in Australia is also a significant factor in the ability to claim citizenship of Australia.

There is also a citizenship test and a values statement which all new Australian citizens must agree to in order affirm their allegiance to Australia and the system of values which the government considers Australians live by. There are approved courses run by government providers which assist people to prepare for the citizenship test and to give the the Australian Citizenship pledge. There are certain core areas of knowledge which the course covers that applicants for citizenship need to become familiar with in order to pass the test. These topic areas include:

Australia and its people
Australia’s democratic beliefs
The responsibilities and privileges of Australia
Government and the law in Australia.

As having a level of English language proficiency is one of the key elements to Australian Citizenship, the test is only offered in English and generally the courses are only run in English. If you have any questions about pathways to Australian Citizenship, we are more than happy to discuss with you your application for citizenship and what the legal requirements of an application like this are. You can contact us using any of the methods available on this website.