Valid visa: How long foreigners must live in Australia to apply for citizenship

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Australia's Department of Home Affairs has outlined the exact residency period foreign nationals must complete before applying for citizenship

- Applicants must have lived in Australia on a valid visa for four continuous years, with strict limits on time spent outside the country

- The point at which the residency clock starts depends on how and when a permanent visa was granted to the applicant

Australia's Department of Home Affairs has published the precise residency conditions foreign nationals must satisfy before they can apply to become Australian citizens.

The requirements are detailed on the Australian government's official website and leave little room for ambiguity on the key question of how long a person must be in the country.

Australia's 4-year residency rule

To qualify for citizenship, an applicant must have been living in Australia on a valid visa for four continuous years immediately before the date of application.

Within that four-year window, the applicant must also have held a permanent visa or a Special Category Visa (SCV) for at least the final 12 months prior to applying.

Time spent outside Australia is permitted during this period, but within strictly defined limits.

Across the full four years, absences must not exceed 12 months in total. In the final 12 months alone, time spent outside the country must not go beyond 90 days.

When the residency clock starts

For those who entered Australia on a permanent visa, the four-year count begins from the date they first arrived in the country on that visa.

For applicants who were already living in Australia when their permanent visa was granted, the residency period is calculated from the date the visa was issued rather than from any date of arrival.

New Zealand citizens holding an SCV or a New Zealand stream Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) are subject to separate rules governing when their permanent residency is considered to have begun.

The government advises those applicants to calculate their permanent residence start date with particular care.

SCV holders who travel outside Australia retain their permanent resident status for citizenship purposes while they are abroad, provided they held a valid SCV immediately before leaving the country.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.