AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Proposed Citizenship Rule Changes for Specialist Professions and Elite Athletes

Tuesday, 1 September 2009

The Australian Government plans to introduce changes to Australian Citizenship rules that have previously excluded elite athletes and other professionals who need to frequently travel internationally for work, from applying for citizenship.

Under the current rules, people who are out of the country for 90 days or more in the year before applying for citizenship are ineligible to become citizens. The previous government had also extended the residency requirement from 2 years to 4 years and removed some discretionary provisions, to the disadvantage of a small group of people.

Senator Chris Evans, minister for Immigration & Citizenship stated in a media release:

"Due to their professional travel commitments, people who are ordinarily resident in Australia are unable to be present in the country for the required period of time and this effectively excludes them from becoming Australian citizens".

"These changes will create a smoother path to citizenship for elite athletes and people in specialist professions and enable Australia to benefit from the talents and skills they bring to our country".

Proposed changes for people in special circumstances (including athletes):

• two years as a permanent resident immediately prior to application
• ordinarily resident in Australia during that period
• 180 days (six months) physical presence in Australia during that period, including 90 days (three months) in the 12 months immediately prior to application
• require Australian citizenship to represent Australia
• have their application supported by a recognised national peak body (eg: Australian Olympic Committee).

Proposed changes for people in specialist professions:

• permanent resident in Australia for 12 months immediately prior to application
• lawfully resident in Australia for four years immediately prior to application
• ordinarily resident in Australia during that period
• 480 days (16 months) physical presence in Australia during that four year period, including 120 days (four months) in the 12 months immediately prior to application
• required to travel extensively outside Australia due to nature of profession
• have their application supported by current employer.

If you are interested in Visas to Australia, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Australia.