Pollyana

But the alternative is paying for a RRV every five years. Citizenship soon works out cheaper.

As far as I'm aware there is no cost for the test either, just a cost for citizsnship itself - unless thats changed recently?

Zen10

You weren't eligible, and that is quite different from the people I'm talking about.

Zen10

Posts #28 and #35 both provide examples of people who hadn't given any thought to their nationality, i.e., didn't know what it was. I'm not sure why I entered into the debate with Gibbo anyway because the first thing she says when contradicting my initial post is that the reason these people have no clue what their nationality is, is because they are entered onto the electoral roll with all their mates at 18, but unless I'm very much mistaken non-citizens cannot vote in Australian Commonwealth federal and state elections and referendums unless they were British subjects on the roll before 1984, i.e., born in at least 1966. If so, then not only do these people have no idea what their own nationality is, but they also broke the law and failed to vote at about 20 federal elections where they would have been informed they were not citizens. Which is obviously nonsense.

sonlymewalter

as long as they work within the law people have a right to do what they want it's called freedom of choice

and sometimes people do things for different reasons

Zen10

Totally agree. Am going to unsubscribe from thread to extend my lifespan!

commonwealth

No fee for test.

Pollyana

That's what I thought, can't see where he got that from!

asher

funnily enough we said that we would get citizenship and go back to the UK but we are still here and about to start house buying.

I don't think it's an abuse more that people aren't closing the door on Australia as they don't have a crystal ball to see what the future holds.
Many do come back and live productive lives as Australians, some don't but they still have that option.

No one knows what the future will bring, maybe their close relationship with Australia is just a yearning to go back there.

as for people not knowing their nationality it's not exactly something you think about every day and some who came as kids have never gone abroad and not given it a thought until something reminds them. They do know what nationality they are but many older people make erroneous assumptions about their rights.

LeeWillo

If you get citizenship then go back to the UK do you still have to vote here?

bcworld

C'mon kips...this one really needs an answer...I think it's the second time it was asked.

asher

no, but you can vote overseas at designated places or use the postal vote, which will not get there in time anyway!

Gibbo

Don't agree that older people make errors about their rights. Those who came with PR and had the right to vote were, in the main, young and knew exactly what their rights were. Those who have come since that time I assume know all the things that they can't do on a PR visa.
Pollyanna is so right when she said it was cheaper to get citizenship and a passport than RRVs. That's one of the reasons I eventually took citizenship. RRVs used to cost nothing, then $30 and the last one I got was $90! Don't know what they cost now.

asher

well the ones I know do make erroneous assumptions! they have never left the country and came here as babies and are now in their late 70s and 80s.

Gibbo

My apologies. Never entered my head to consider those people who emigrated before the second world war. It should have though, because I had an uncle who came to South Australia some time between WW1 and WW2. In fact my maternal grandparents were on holiday in SA when WW2 was declared.

verystormy

It depends. Some countries will not allow dual nationality and so people from them countries have to drop there old nationality. For Brits, they can have both and do not renounce their British nationality