London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, May 11, 2025

Australia to fast track citizenship for New Zealanders

Australia to fast track citizenship for New Zealanders

Australia has announced plans to make it easier for hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders living in the country to become Australian citizens.
From July 1, they can apply for citizenship as long as they have lived in Australia for four years or more and arrived after 2001.

They will also no longer need to apply for permanent residency first to be eligible for citizenship. New Zealand has campaigned for reform since visa rules toughened in 2001.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement on Saturday, a day ahead of a visit by his New Zealand counterpart Chris Hipkins.

“We know many New Zealanders are here on a special category visa while raising families, working and building their lives in Australia. So I am proud to offer the benefits that citizenship provides,” Albanese said in a statement.

It is expected to affect up to 350,000 New Zealanders currently residing in Australia.

New Zealand’s Chris Hipkins, who is due to visit Brisbane on Sunday, hailed the changes as “the biggest improvement in the rights of New Zealanders living in Australia in a generation”.

It also “restores the rights Kiwis had in Australia before they were revoked in 2001,” he said in a statement.

New Zealand has long been calling for these changes since visa rules for their nationals living in Australia were toughened more than two decades ago.

In 2001, a special category visa was introduced restricting New Zealanders’ access to certain health and welfare support.

It also required them to apply for permanent residency before seeking citizenship — an often lengthy and costly process.

New Zealander Scott Bowley said he and his Swedish wife, who live in Melbourne with their two children, were happy to hear the news overnight.

The changes mean he and his family would have access to government assistance — such as unemployment benefits — after becoming citizens.

“It takes away a level of uncertainty and if you do fall on hard times, you can lean on the government a bit more,” he told the BBC.

He said his second child, who was born last December, will now also automatically be entitled to Australian citizenship.

Fellow New Zealander Nicole Westrupp, who works at a children’s hospital in Melbourne, said she had given up trying to get permanent residency due to her medical role being considered too niche and the thousands of dollars it cost to apply.

“There was no path for me until now,” she told the BBC. The changes mean she can now get access to extra support if needed, such as housing grants, but it also means she is eligible to vote.

“Up until now I haven’t been able to vote and I feel passionately about voting — I live here and pay taxes but can’t have a say over who runs the country.”

Authorities in Australia say the changes now put the rights of New Zealanders living in Australia on a level playing field with Australians living in New Zealand.

About 670,000 New Zealanders currently live in Australia, with about 70,000 Australians in New Zealand.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump fires director of U.S. Copyright Office, sources say
Retired British police officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility Amid Congressional Visit
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
×