NKSK version 2

Vash,

This isn't a competition to see who has the worst nationalisation laws.

It isn't a competition between Australia and the UK.

It isn't part iof a wider definition of which country is better.

It's just that people have moved here with the knowledge that the process is 2 years - now - midway for a lot of people - it's going to be 4 years.

I suspect that in a few years it just won't be an issue for migrants arriving then. As far as they are concerned it is 4 years. Period.

The frustration is for those people who are in the system already - and the rules are about to change.

JAJ

The 5 years refers to the RE-ENTRY facility on the visa.

DunRoaminTheUK

So, after 5 years the visa remains valid for as long as you stay in the country (in the even that no citizenship has been acquired)?

JAJ

Correct, if you're in the country on the last day. But it would expire the day you stepped outside Australia (any reason).

Vash the Stampede

Well, that's nice to know.

It might not be retrospective. Fingers crossed.

In the meantime, you're already living in Australia, so I can't see that another year or two will make a huge difference.

NKSK version 2

It makes a difference for all those people who want to make Australia their permanent home but also want to see other parts of the world over the next few years.

I fancy moving abroad for two or three years before returning to Australia.

Can't do that for a lot longer than I originally thought.

banjo

No it's not....but he's pointing out that 4yrs is a very reasonable amount of time. Of course I already have citizenship so it's easy for me to say - but if we had to wait 4yrs or five so be it.

I do think there should be allowances for those already in the country before the law comes into effect purely because of the Uni fees as has been mentioned and also for those with Aussie spouses......how does this affect you Pollyanna?

Even though they are raising the bar to 4yrs the process is still a lot quicker and simpler than the UK where I have spent most of my life (21 out of 31) and have missed numerous opportunities to apply for citizenship due to law changes and abitrary things like 'being out of the country for more than 90 days in the last 12 months' or not 'being present on the date the application is received 3yrs before' Having spent all this time in the UK I now have to spend at least another 3yrs here to re-satisfy the residence requirement. That is annoying.

Jockstar

So how will this affect me? I got my residence started April 2003 and runs out April 2008. I haven't lived in Oz since i got it. I am returning in 4 weeks for the foreseeable future. So if i stay for 2 years then i can no longer apply for citizenship? So i gotta stay for 4? If my visa that runs out in April 2008 has expired and i want to leave for a holiday after 2 years from my day of arrival back to Oz. Can i then apply for a return resident visa if i have spent a total of 2 years there. Even although my PR has run out?ie in my passport. Any ideas?

davidclifford

Lol Good one, Nicky. Perhaps the questions about Oz culture they'll ask include "What constitutes an Aussie 7-course meal?" (A pork pie and a 6-pack) or "What's the difference between Australia and a yoghurt?" (The yoghurt has a culture of its own). PRs apparently aren't capable of having mates or going to the pub - or maybe it's amongst yet another set of restrictions they plan to apply?!

"Australian values"? I've been a citizen since 1988, after I emigrated here the first time. After a prolonged absence in the UK for several years, looking after sick parents, I'm returning again with my (British) spouse & kids. Last time I was here Aussie values didn't include rudeness to migrants, institutionalised discrimination and xenophobia. We've experienced all three since we arrived here 6 weeks ago. If it had been like this the first time round, I'm not sure I'd have wanted to stay.

I'm not against having loyalty to one's country, especially if you choose to adopt that country. I was proud to say the Oath of Alliegance and I've considered Australia home ever since. But the present clutch of politicians seem to have forgotten that real loyalty needs to be freely given. If they try to enforce it, what's the difference between here and Nazi germany?

Treefrog (Dave's Spouse)

Pollyana

It means that if I do not leave the country again from now, I will be eligible for citizenship in June 2010, when I will have been here almost 7 years.

Pommie Granite

I wonder, if there is an increase to 4 years citizenship, whether the following changes should/will be implemented:

1. RRV requirment be pushed back from 5 years to 7 years residency.
   
2. Those already arrived in Oz will only be subjected to the legislation in effect upon arrival i.e no shifting of the goalposts for those already waiting to fulfill the 2 year waiting period.
   
3. Also, if an English requirement for citizenhips comes into effect, it will be waived for those who untertook IELTS tests or were waived the neccessity to prove English Language ability, in their original residency application.

PG

Tableland

The trend is simple - everything is getting more complicated and more difficult, whether it's bus timetables or immigration. The UK and the US is 5 years to become a citizen, so it's still quicker in Australia. Yes, it's frustrating, but there is nothing that can be done about it.

In a few years it will go up again to 5 years, and maybe it could get even worse than that. Ironically, globalisation is slowly making global travel more difficult. The days of mass migration are coming to an end because of cultural factors (such as extremist groups who will not integrate, etc), so consider yourselves lucky that you can fill out a form, get to Australia in 24 hours, and in 48 months become a citizen. Just the wait to get into Canada is 52 months, then another 36 months for citizenship. 88 months for a Canadian passport from start to finish and probably around 60 for an Australian one.

Jockstar

Any thoughts on this guys?

Jensen Healey

Well, that should keep the Muslims out then!

Tableland

My thought is that it is exactly this attitude that is the cause for the increase in the time. People should not go to Australia, pick up the passport, and then bugger off back to wherever. The only reason the majority of them get the passport is because Australia needs their skills in some capacity. What any government is not going to put up with is people using a nation like an exclusive golf club.

Going there purely for the passport shows the same level of indifference towards the nation as getting in as a nurse and then selling surfboards for a living instead of using those nursing skills that got you in. After all, Australia wouldn't let you in if you said you wanted to sell surfboards, etc.

Because of these people's selfish attitude, the government is forced to react. Now the wait is four years, and maybe one day five. What they should also do is make sure people entering the nation due to a specific skill work in that occupation for a minimum of five years. Fair's fair - they're only here because of the skills after all. How does Australia benefit from 5000 British plumbers and nurses working part-time at Australia Post?