Which Category Are You In?
DIC lists seven categories that might apply:
- You are a migrant
- Your parent is/was an Aus citizen
- You lost your Aus citizenship and want to get it back
- You are an NZ citizen
- You are a British/Maltese former child migrant
- You are an Aus citizen seeking dual citizenship of another country
Wef 1 October 2007, most people are required to pass a citizenship test before they apply for Australian citizenship by conferral.
You are exempted from taking the citizenship test if you:
- are aged under 18 years, or
- are aged 60 years or over, or
- suffer from a permanent loss or substantial impairment of hearing, speech or sight, or
- have a permanent physical or mental incapacity that means you are not capable of understanding the nature of the application.
How To Prepare For The Aus Citizenship Test
The 20 MCQ's (multiple choice questions) are based on the following:
- Responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship
- Australian values
- Australian history
- Australian society
- Governing Australia
I remember there was a bit of an uproar last year about migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds having to know about Sir Donald Bradman.
My own view is that if you're serious about taking up another country's citizenship, you should be doing everything you can to fit into mainstream life.
Having said that, I can see why migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds might find this an almost insurmountable hurdle.
I remember Beth had a classmate at kinder whose family spoke Chinese and nothing else. I used to marvel at how the boy's parents managed on a day-to-day basis without speaking one word of English. They couldn't fill in the registration form for kinder enrolment or understand the letters they received from the authorities (they just ignored them!). Nor could they communicate with the kinder teacher about their son's progress. They had to depend on sign language and random interpreters that they happened to meet.
I don't think I would have had the courage to migrate in such circumstances.
Anyhow, there's good news for muggers (aka "chao muggers" and "mugger toads", to use the lingo from my school days). Everything you need to know to pass the test is contained in the free book Becoming an Australian Citizen.
The book has been translated into 29 community languages and is downloadable here.
You can even mug by trying out the practice tests and tutorials, something most Singaporeans should find a breeze!
The pass mark is 60%.
Want to know how other people have done in the test and what countries they come from? There's actually a snapshot report that captures such info.
Singapore falls under "Others". :-)
How To Know If You Qualify For Aus Citizenship
Before applying to take the test, check that you satisfy the residence requirements under the law.
The date you have to watch out for is 1 July 2007.
If you became an Aus PR on/after 1 July 2007, you must have stayed in Aus for 4 years before making your application for citizenship.
If you became an Aus PR before 1 July 2007, you must have stayed in Aus for 2 years before making your application for citizenship.
Whopping difference of 2 whole years there!
Use this handy calculator to check if you meet the residency requirements.
The other thing you must do is satisfy the Aus Govt that you are of good character.
If you:
- have lived overseas for 12 or more months since receiving your PR
- were 16 years or over at the time
- the period spent in any country was > 3 months
you need to get a penal clearance from the other country e.g. Singapore, if you've been living there prior to migrating to Aus.
The Singapore Govt's equivalent of the penal clearance is the Good Conduct Certificate or Certificate of No Criminal Conviction. You can get the application form here.
Assuming you have sat and passed the citizenship test, met the eligibility requirements and your application for citizenship is accepted, the final step is to make the pledge of commitment. This is usually done at a public citizenship ceremony hosted by your local council.
Pledge Of Commitment
From this time forward, under God ("under God" is optional),
I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people,
whose democratic beliefs I share,
whose rights and liberties I respect, and
whose laws I will uphold and obey.
Australia's Position On Dual Citizenship
Aus does not require people to renounce their current citizenship when they become Aus citizens.
However, you should check with the consular representative of your own country in Australia on how your birth country views this matter.
As far as I know, Singapore has not yet embraced dual citizenship.
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