Australia Announces 5 Conditions for Foreigners Aged 60 and Above to Get Citizenship
- Australia's Department of Home Affairs has outlined specific eligibility conditions for foreigners who are 60 years old and above and wish to become citizens
- Applicants in this age group must meet a general residence requirement, showing they have lived in Australia on a valid visa for at least 4 years before applying
- Unlike younger applicants, those aged 60 and above are exempt from sitting the citizenship test, though they must still meet character and residency link conditions
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Australia's Department of Home Affairs has published clear conditions that foreigners aged 60 and above must satisfy before they can qualify for citizenship, offering an accessible but structured pathway for older applicants seeking to make the country their permanent home.
The requirements, listed on the official immigration website, cover five key areas that every applicant in this age bracket must meet before their application can be considered.
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Australian citizenship: Requirements for 60 and above
1. Permanent residency
The first condition is that every person included in the application must already hold permanent residency status in Australia.
2. Residence requirements
Beyond that, applicants must demonstrate they have been living in the country on a valid visa for four continuous years leading up to the date of application, and must have held a permanent visa or a Special Category Visa for the 12 months immediately before applying.
Absence from the country is also carefully counted. Applicants must not have spent more than 12 months outside Australia during the four-year period, and no more than 90 days of that absence can fall within the final 12 months before applying.
3. Age requirement
The age requirement is straightforward: the applicant must be 60 years or older at the time of lodging the application. Notably, this group is not required to sit the standard citizenship test, which is a significant distinction from younger applicants. However, applicants must still demonstrate a basic understanding of the nature of the application they are making.
4. Character requirement
The character condition applies to anyone aged 18 and over and is described by the department as relating to the "enduring moral qualities of a person." Assessors consider whether an applicant is likely to respect and comply with Australian laws and honour the commitments set out in the citizenship pledge.
5. Long-term commitment
Finally, applicants must show they have a close and continuing link to Australia. The department specifies that this means officials must be satisfied the person is likely to continue living in Australia or maintain strong ties to the country even if they spend time abroad. Importantly, simply having family members or social connections who are Australian citizens may not, on its own, be considered sufficient to meet this requirement.
The department frames citizenship as a privilege that demands a long-term commitment, and the conditions for those aged 60 and above reflect that standard while acknowledging the particular circumstances of older applicants.
Legit.ng has also published residency years for foreigners who want to become Qatari citizens.
Citizenship: Australia mentions residency years for foreigners
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Australia's Department of Home Affairs has outlined the residence requirement foreigners must meet before applying for citizenship.
Applicants must have lived in Australia on a valid visa for a number of years before the date they apply for citizenship.
The rules also specify how much time applicants are allowed to have spent outside Australia during that period.
Source: Legit.ng
