SoCalDon

Hi Guys,

I'm just trying to figure out when I'd be able to apply for citizenship and I can't wrap my head around what my 'Lawful Residence Date' was. The Immi calculator page bangs on about it being when I first started living in Australia on a valid visa. I'm wondering which one of the following dates would be the correct one. Thanks in advance!

25 APR 2013 Arrived in Australia on Tourist Visa 676
31 DEC 2014 Applied for Partner Visa 820/801
02 JAN 2015 Bridging Visa Granted
17 MAR 2015 Tourist Visa Expired - Bridging Visa Started
24 MAR 2016 Partner Visa 820 (Temporary) Granted
16 MAY 2018 Partner Visa 801 (Permanent) Granted

Aside from 4 days in Fiji in March 2014, I have been in Australia since the 25th of April 2013.

sanch.alex86

For citizenship application, based on department of home affairs:

At the time you apply you must have been:

• living in Australia on a valid visa for the past 4 years
• a permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen for the past 12 months
• away from Australia for no more than 12 months in total in the past 4 years, including no more than 90 days in total in the past 12 months

You started to live in Australia on a Valid visa on 25 APR 2013. So, you already lived in Australia for the past 4 years but you need to wait 12 months after you became a permanent resident. Therefore, you will be able to apply for citizenship on 16 MAY 2019 (I assume that you will not going to be away until then).

SoCalDon

Thank you very much for your help. I imagined that this would be the case but the language on the Immi site confused me a bit.

The handy thing about it is that, if I delay my application until the 25th of May I'll be 60 and won't have to sit the citizenship test!

red7

Hello!

I just wondered how you got on with this? I've just been on the immi website calculator and it doesn't matter what "Lawful Residence Date" I put in (similar to the OP, I have had many different visas, going back to 2013), the calculator always goes by my PR visa grant date (2018) and says I can't apply for Citizenship until 2020. I did notice that my waiting period is 2 years, not 4 years but did the new rule changes in January 2019 affect what visas qualify too??