Australia Announces 3 Routes Foreigners Can Become Citizens

• Australia's Department of Home Affairs outlined three primary routes through which foreigners can obtain Australian citizenship
• Citizenship by conferral covers permanent residents across two age groups, with separate pathways for those under 16 and those aged 60 and over
• A third route exists for people born overseas to a parent who held Australian citizenship at the time of their birth

Australia's Department of Home Affairs has officially outlined three main routes through which foreigners may obtain Australian citizenship, covering a broad range of applicants from permanent residents to those with Australian-born parents.

The department identifies conferral and descent as the two most widely used methods of application, with eligibility criteria varying depending on the applicant's age, visa status and family background.

Citizenship by conferral for permanent residents

The first route covers permanent residents under the age of 16 who are applying alongside a responsible parent or guardian. This category also extends to Commonwealth Child Migration Scheme migrants, as well as refugees and humanitarian migrants seeking to formalise their status in Australia.

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A separate but similarly structured conferral pathway exists for permanent residents aged 60 and over. This group includes New Zealand citizens holding a Special Category visa (subclass 444), along with Commonwealth Child Migration Scheme migrants and refugees or humanitarian migrants who meet the relevant criteria.

Citizenship by descent

The third primary route is citizenship by descent, which applies to individuals born outside Australia to a parent who was an Australian citizen at the time of their birth. Parents wishing to register a child born overseas are also accommodated under this pathway.

Beyond the three main routes, the department lists a range of additional options. These include pathways for children aged 15 or younger applying independently, as well as separate provisions for those aged 16 or 17 applying on their own. Children born to a former Australian citizen, and those adopted through international arrangements, are also eligible under distinct provisions.

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Further pathways exist for individuals born in Papua before the country's independence in 1975, those living with an incapacity or impairment, former Australian citizens seeking to resume their citizenship, and people born in Australia who are stateless.

The Department of Home Affairs notes that applicants must satisfy specific eligibility requirements before submitting an application under any of the available pathways.

Australia names 4 parent categories eligible for sponsorship

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Australia has announced which parents can apply for its Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa.

According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs, the visa is open to biological parents, legal parents (including adoptive parents), step-parents and parents-in-law of the sponsoring individual, referred to as the Parent Sponsor.

Source: YEN.com.gh