With Australia day fast approaching, I thought this would be a good time to discuss how you can become an Australian Citizen.

The Good News:

– If you are a Canadian teacher or UK teacher, you can get Australian citizenship and won’t have to give up your other citizenship.
 All it takes is time, paperwork, a bit of money, and some patience.
– You are eligible for Medicare once you become a Permanent Resident (so you will finally benefit from paying all those tax dollars).

The Bad News:

– It will take a minimum of 4 years to get your Australian Citizenship.
– You have to take a Citizenship test (20 multiple choice done on a computer and they give you a book to study ahead of time).
– It will cost you at least a couple of thousands of dollars.
– You must continue to be sponsored by an employer until you are eleigble for Permanent Residency.
– You do need 120 points (and your professional really needs to be in the skilled shortage list in order to get 60 of the 120 points).

Timeline for Most:

– One year on the 417 Working Holiday Visa (you can obtain a 2nd Working Holiday visa so you can stay another year).
– Obtain full-time employment and get sponsorship on the 457 Business Sponsorship visa (this can last up to 4 years but is valid for the length of your contract).
– You can apply for a Skilled Migrant visa but must have the right points and takes a very long time to obtain and costs lots of money.
– After living in Australia for at least 3 years, you can apply for hte Permanent Residency Visa (this then gives you Medicare, but does costs quite a bit of money).
– After you have had your Permanent Residency in Australia for at least one year and have lived in Australia for at least 4 years, you can apply for Australian Citizenship. Within the past 12 months, you can only have left the country for no more than 2.9 months.
– Usually 3-9 months before your pledge (this includes paperwork, wait time, Citizenship test, Ceremony Date).

Good luck! And don’t forget, January 26th is Australia Day!