In new legislative changes, the Australian government’s removed a significant hurdle for New Zealanders applying to become citizens, meaning many people will suddenly become eligible.
It was announced last week that significant changes had been signed off that affect the 189 New Zealand stream visa, which is the main route used to become a permanent resident.
The Australian government chose to hit pause on all new applications ahead of changes promised by ANZAC Day 2023, with officials pledging to work through the backlog of applications in the system.
Now, anyone in the queue won’t have to wait the required 12 months to formally progress to the citizenship stage.
In changes registered this week, people granted a 189 visa from December 2021 and before July 2023 will automatically be classed as permanent residents (as of New Year's Day 2022), enabling them to forgo the wait period.
The tweaks will likely be overhauled when the Australian government reveals the new citizenship pathway.
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