Although Australia is very far away, many Russians see it as a potential new homeland. And no wonder, because this continent country is one of the ten richest and most well-equipped states in the world. Let's find out what are the ways to obtain Australian citizenship and what is needed for this.
The advantages and disadvantages of life in the homeland of the kangaroo and Crocodile Dundee
Occupying the 6th place in the world in terms of territory, this country is home to 25 million people. Such a modest population is due to the fact that the central part of Australia is a desert. Therefore, most citizens live on the east coast.
Why is this country so attractive?
- High salaries.
- Bureaucracy and corruption are very low.
- Cheap and quality food.
- Free health insurance for all citizens.
- High level of security.
- Everywhere is very clean.
- Smooth roads.
- Truly working insurance system.
- Beautiful nature and clean ecology.
- Freedom of religion and sexual orientation.
However, life here has its drawbacks, which are worth considering, deciding to move here.
- High prices, especially for housing and utilities.
- Many poisonous plants, insects and animals.
- Medicine is almost free, but in order to get to a highly qualified specialist, you have to go through an army of three-way therapists who all treat with ibuprofen and iodine.
- In addition to official English, there are about 40 types of dialects actively used in Australia.
- Frequent fires due to heat.
- Problems with drinking water in certain regions.
- Far and expensive to visit relatives in Europe.
Bipatrism in Australia
Since 2002, Australian law allows citizens to simultaneously be subjects of another state. This is possible only when it is not prohibited in another homeland. For example, as in the Russian Federation. Her laws do not welcome, but do not forbid to have 2 passports at once. So the Russians may well obtain dual citizenship Australia-Russia. Moreover, while in the Russian Federation, they will only be under its jurisdiction. And arriving in a third country, they will be able to choose which of the passports to use.
Ukrainians are less fortunate in this regard. Theoretically, they can also have dual citizenship Australia-Ukraine. In practice, the legislation of the latter in this regard has masses of holes. As long as the Ukrainian migration service does not know that its subject already has a second homeland, it does not deprive him of his citizenship. As soon as she becomes aware of this, she has the legal right to "refuse the traitor", and may not do so. Such a precarious position gives a lot of reasons for speculation, especially in relation to owners of large businesses. If for some reason they want to retain Ukrainian citizenship, they will have to "negotiate" and "thank" the officials who will turn a blind eye to their second passport.
Australia Citizenship Procedure
In 2018, the legislation of this country provides three main ways to obtain citizenship:
- birth / adoption right;
- origin;
- naturalization.
If you were not born here or do not have blood relatives, naturalization is the only way to obtain Australian citizenship.
Unlike other countries, the procedure for its provision lasts almost 2 times less. So, in Europe, in order to naturalize, you should live 7-12 years in the state. In the country of kangaroos - from 4 years. During this period, the total time of absence on Australian soil shall not exceed one year. And in the last 12 months before applying, you can not leave for more than 90 days.
The algorithm for acquiring the coveted passport consists of such stages.
- Obtaining a permanent visa (not to be confused with a residence permit). On it are in Australia 25% of its total population. It is issued for a foreigner in electronic form once and for all. If you wish, you can ask to paste a specialized Australian visa stamp in your passport. However, this is not necessary.
- Having lived on the aforementioned visa in the country for 2 years, you can apply for a residence permit. In practice, in Australia, a residence permit has all the properties of permanent residence. The holder of a residence permit has the rights of almost the level of a citizen (free medicine and legal services), and can also take here his foreign relatives.
- After four years of living on the continent, it's time to try to apply for civil status. The application can be filled out and sent online on a specialized website or submitted personally to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. In any case, you will have to pay a fee (Australian $ 120), which is not refundable in the event of a refusal. Examination may last about a year. In case of failure, you can try your luck again in a year or two. It all depends on its cause.
- If the migration service agrees to grant citizenship, an English language test, as well as Australiaโs history, laws and culture, will be tested. This is a Citizenship Test. With his help, the applicant proves that he knows enough about his new homeland. Only children under 18 and old people over 60, as well as the mentally ill, are exempted from it. Typically, the written part of the test consists of 20 questions, which are allocated 45 minutes. Citizenship Test is considered passed if 60% of the questions are answered correctly. In addition to him, he will have to go through an interview with an immigration officer - this is the oral part of the citizenship test. The result is reported on the same day. If all is well, the applicant is notified of the date and place of granting him citizenship (within 90 days from the day of the exam). This event is very solemn among the Australians. It takes place in the presence of the Minister of Immigration. After taking the oath, the newly made citizen is awarded a certificate and a passport.
Requirements for Applicants
Before looking for a way to obtain Australian citizenship, you should make sure that you meet the requirements of this state for migrants.
It:
- lack of criminal record;
- sufficient knowledge of English;
- physical and mental health, the absence of contagious diseases;
- the ability to support themselves and their children.
In addition to all of the above, before obtaining Australian citizenship, a citizen of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus and others will have to live on its territory for at least 4 years. Moreover, it is mandatory on a legal basis.
List of required documents
Regardless of the chosen option of how to obtain Australian citizenship, a citizen of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus or any other state will have to provide the same packages of documents. All papers not in English are to be translated and notarized.
- Identification. In addition to the current passport and copies of all its pages, you also need a birth certificate and a declaration of identity with a current photo. The last paper is certified by an Australian citizen who is personally acquainted with the applicant.
- Certificate of English Proficiency (IELTS, TOEFL or CEA). When moving on the basis of marriage is not needed.
- Certificate of good conduct.
- Bonus points for the SkillSelect program. It is designed to select the most promising migrants for Australia. To register in it, just submit an online application EOI (Expression of Interest). SkillSelect points are awarded based on age, work experience, education data and level of knowledge of the English language. The specialization of a potential immigrant is also taken into account as far as it can be useful for the development of the country's economy. For example, a designer is a fashionable and sought-after profession, but the Australian state is more interested in doctors, engineers and scientists. Therefore, such specialists will be awarded a greater number of points. To obtain a positive result, you must have a minimum of 60 points.
- Men will also have to attach a military ID.
- Medical insurance.
- In the case of entry on the basis of employment, you must provide a labor, diploma and paper from the employer + contract with him.
- If the spouse or children remains at home, you will have to write an explanation of why they do not go.
- Also, a marriage / divorce / adoption / death certificate of the second half, an authorization to export children, etc.
Other documents may also be required. It all depends on the specific situation.
Grounds for obtaining Australian citizenship
Any visa to enter this country is issued for some purpose and has a number of features. For example, having entered the country as a tourist, you cannot officially find a job, let alone apply for a residence permit, permanent residence or citizenship. Refugees are an exception, but more on that later.
So before choosing a way how to obtain Australian citizenship, a Russian, a Ukrainian, a Belarusian, a Kazakh or a British in any case will have to find a reason for this:
- refugee
- marriage with a citizen;
- family reunification;
- employment;
- study;
- business immigration.
Refuge
According to the UN Convention signed by Australia, the country is obliged to host refugees who have left their homeland on national, racial, religious, political, social or humanitarian grounds.
Oddly enough, Australia and Canada are some of the most loyal states on this issue. Perhaps because both are far from the main countries where their citizens are constantly fleeing from.
There are 6 types of visas for refugees considering all possible options. So on this basis there is a theoretical opportunity to obtain Australian citizenship for Russians, Ukrainians and other immigrants from the countries of the former Soviet Union. True, for this it will be necessary to provide strong evidence of the need for relocation. Economic or criminal motives are not. In addition, if the annual quota is exceeded, refugees can be sent to another country.
You can apply for asylum in your home country by contacting the embassy and submitting documents, or by arriving in Australia on a tourist visa. All attempts to illegally land on the shore of this continent are severely punished. Cases of such migrants, as a rule, are not considered; they are immediately sent to camps on the Pacific islands.
This base, although very inaccessible, but very tasty. Anyone who has received refugee status in Australia has the right to move his family to this country, find a job here, as well as receive cash benefits, free education and medical care.
By birth or adoption
Australian citizenship can be acquired by being born here (not earlier than August 20, 1986). However, there are some nuances. If both parents are not citizens of this state, their child also cannot become one by birthright. In this situation, Australian citizenship is granted to him when he reaches the age of ten, provided that he lived here all these years (not counting short-term tourist trips outside the country).
If the baby was born in another country, but one of his parents is a citizen of Australia, he can also apply for citizenship by birth.
Adopted foreign children under the age of 18 receive citizenship if one of their guardians has it. It is also necessary that registration of the last stage of the procedure takes place on Australian soil.
Family reunion program
This foundation is suitable when there are relatives on the Australian continent, moreover, having residence permits (permanent residence), as well as facilities and living space for the maintenance of new arrivals. You can get a visa and move to these types of relatives:
- children of Australian citizens;
- spouses (wife's visa, details below);
- parents;
- siblings.
To start the procedure, you will have to provide the following documents:
- visa application form ;
- passport and its copies;
- a copy of the passport of an Australian citizen, on the basis of kinship with which the move is carried out (depending on its type, you will also have to prepare a marriage / birth certificate, etc.);
- certificate of no criminal record;
- medical certificate of health.
Australian citizenship through marriage
This method at first glance seems the simplest and most affordable. However, it is not. The requirements of the Australian Migration Service are much stricter than in most European countries.
The migration service in this country is most interested in having real relationships between spouses, and not in a stamp in a passport. Therefore, when applying for Australian citizenship, itโs worth collecting photos from family vacations, letters and postcards to each other in advance, receipts for joint dinners or purchases, etc. Representatives of the migration service also usually interview friends and neighbors.
Relocation of a foreign wife in this country is sponsored. That is, the groom must prove his ability to provide his beloved with housing and livelihood for the next 2 years. If the bride / wife comes with bonuses in the form of children, their maintenance also falls on the shoulders of the Australian spouse.
Local legislation provides for two types of visas in this case: for the bride and for the wife. Their advantages over all others are the lack of requirements for knowledge of English, education, profession and income level of the future spouse.
Entry into Australia on a bride's visa for further marriage (this is given 9 months) is the preferred option. After all, having married, in the future you will have to face fewer formalities. So, immediately after the wedding, the happy newlywed must file a petition for residence permit. Such a temporary visa is issued for a period of 24 months. After 2 years of marriage, the spouse has the right to obtain permanent residence, and after 2 years - to try to obtain Australian citizenship.
If the marriage union was concluded outside the country and the foreigner entered on the basis of his wifeโs visa, the next year the migration service has the right to verify in every possible way the existence of relations between the spouses. This means coming without warning, interviewing friends, neighbors, work colleagues, etc. For the rest, everything is the same as in the case of the bride.
Australian law requires her to have at least one face-to-face witness meeting with her spouse before entering her second half. Marriage age - from 18 years.
By the way, people of non-traditional orientation can also resort to this method. Indeed, from December 9, 2017, gay marriage is allowed in Australia.
Study
If you have the financial opportunity, you can enroll in any of 43 Australian universities or 600 colleges. After receiving a diploma, the law allows you to stay in the country for almost a year for employment. And if you study well, then you can find a job. And this is a direct path to a permanent visa, residence permit and citizenship.
By the way, the law allows students to officially work 20 hours a week.
A prerequisite for applying for a student visa is to make full payment for the first year of study.
Choosing this one, it is worth considering the difference in education systems. After all, in Ukraine and the Russian Federation they study for 11 years, and in Australia - 12. In order to level this difference, you will have to enter the Foundation or Diploma programs before the university. Upon completion, you can enter the 1st or 2nd year of university.
By the way, obtaining an Australian diploma is an additional 5 points SkillSelect.
Employment
To come to the country on a work visa without an Australian diploma, you need to be a highly sought-after specialist. Nobody will take handymen from across the ocean, it is expensive and unpromising. In addition, when employing a foreigner, the employer must justify why he did not take his compatriot to this position. And the argument that a stranger is cheaper is not quoted.
Australia today is interested in medical practitioners and medical research scientists, especially in the pharmaceutical field. Also in the field of interest are engineers in the mining industry, energy, etc. Therefore, plasterers, seamstresses, or proud, but unemployed linguists and actors should look for other reasons for moving.
Business immigration
In conclusion, it is worth considering opportunities for entrepreneurs seeking to move to this continent and open their own business.
According to data for 2017-2018, more than 95 thousand high-income migrants moved to Australia. This refers to those with net assets of $ 1 million or more.
In this case, waiting for citizenship will also take about 4-5 years. There is a special type of visa for this category - an investor visa, subclass 188. It has 5 streams (Streams), on the basis of which the application is submitted.
- Entrepreneur Stream is aimed at businessmen who have financing agreements with third parties in the amount of from 200 thousand Australian dollars for entrepreneurial activity, which to one degree or another has a positive effect on the country's economy.
- Business Innovation Stream is designed for owners or co-owners of local firms.
- Investor Stream is suitable for those who not only open a business, but are also ready to invest 1.5 million Australian dollars in the country's economy.
- Significant Investor Stream differs from the previous version with a deposit amount of 5 million.
- Premium Investor Stream is ideal for those applicants whose investment in the local economy is 15 million.