Registered migration agent help when you apply citizenship by conferral, descent or resumption application. Eligibility check, evidence pack, test prep and interview support. Pradeep Kaur, MARN 2619342.
You can apply citizenship by conferral once you've held permanent residence for at least 12 months, lived lawfully in Australia for the four years before applying, and can pass the citizenship test. Most people we help sit under this pathway.
The other three pathways are citizenship by descent (for a child born overseas to an Australian parent), citizenship by adoption, and resumption of citizenship (if you were previously Australian and lost it). Each has its own form and evidence set.
Home Affairs looks at two things when you apply. First, whether you've been in Australia lawfully (on any valid visa) for the four years immediately before the application. Second, whether at least the last 12 months of that period was spent as a permanent resident.
Two absence limits sit on top of that. You can't have been outside Australia for more than 12 months total across the four years. And you can't have been outside Australia for more than 90 days in the 12 months as a PR.
These are hard numbers. Get one wrong by a day and the application is refused or pushed back to a later eligibility date. If you've travelled a lot for work or family, we'll pull your movement records and calculate your earliest eligible date before you lodge.
Most conferral applicants aged 18 to 59 sit the test. It's 20 multiple-choice questions on Australian values, history, symbols and democracy. You need to answer all five of the values questions correctly, and 15 out of 20 overall. The test isn't hard if you prepare. The trap is treating it as trivia. We give clients the current study guide, run through the values questions in plain English, and coach on the phrases the test looks for. Most of our clients pass first attempt.
Home Affairs runs national and international police checks. Old traffic offences aren't usually a problem. Anything involving violence, drugs, fraud, dishonesty or driving offences that led to a jail term needs to be disclosed upfront and framed properly. Never hide something on the character declaration. If it turns up in the background check and you didn't declare it, that becomes a much bigger issue than the underlying offence.
The main evidence bundle is smaller than most people expect:
If you're applying by descent, you'll need your Australian parent's birth certificate and citizenship evidence too.
When you apply citizenship by conferral, the Home Affairs application fee is currently $560 for most adult applicants (concession rates apply for some). The citizenship test fee is included in that. A ceremony fee doesn't apply.
Processing takes around 10 to 14 months from lodgement to ceremony for straightforward cases. The steps are: application lodged, test scheduled (usually 4 to 8 months in), decision letter, and then ceremony invitation (usually another 2 to 6 months). We keep clients informed at each stage.
Citizenship applications look simple on the surface. Most of the delays and refusals we see fall into four buckets.
People who travel for work, or who spent the pandemic overseas, often misjudge their eligibility date. We calculate it to the day.
If you moved from a temporary to a permanent visa, the PR clock starts on the grant date of your PR, not your original arrival. Getting this wrong is the most common self-lodgement error.
Old offences framed poorly can trigger a request for further information that delays the file by six months. Framed properly at lodgement, most cause no issue at all.
The 15-out-of-20 threshold and the values questions catch people who winged it. Two hours of structured prep almost always gets clients over the line first attempt.
A citizenship engagement follows the same pattern as our other visa work. Fixed fee, one agent, one process.
Sixty minutes with Pradeep. We check eligibility, calculate dates, flag any character issues, and quote a fixed fee before you engage.
We prepare the application, character declaration and supporting documents, then lodge on your behalf.
A structured session with the current study guide and practice questions before your test appointment.
Once the decision is made, you receive an invitation to your local ceremony. That's the day you become Australian.
At least 12 months as a PR immediately before you apply. On top of that, you need to have been lawfully in Australia for the full four years before the application, on any valid visa.
Yes, within limits. Total time outside Australia across the four-year window can't exceed 12 months. And time outside Australia in the last 12 months as a PR can't exceed 90 days. If you're close to either limit, we'll calculate your earliest eligibility date to the day.
Twenty multiple-choice questions on Australian values, history, symbols, government and democracy. You need all five values questions correct and 15 out of 20 overall. The current official study guide (Our Common Bond) is free to download.
Australia allows dual (and multi) citizenship. Whether your other country of citizenship allows it is a separate question. India, for example, does not allow dual citizenship, so Indian applicants usually surrender Indian citizenship at the ceremony stage and can then apply for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card.
Minor traffic offences (speeding, parking) usually don't affect the application. Anything more serious, including drink driving, needs to be declared on the character section. Framing it properly at lodgement almost always avoids problems. Hiding it and having it come up later in the police check is the real risk.
Children under 16 can be included on a parent's application in most cases. Children aged 16 and 17 lodge their own application but with less strict residence requirements. We handle family citizenship applications as a single engagement.
Around 10 to 14 months from lodgement to ceremony for straightforward cases. Application is usually decided within 6 to 10 months, then ceremony invitations follow within 2 to 6 months depending on your local council's ceremony schedule.
The Home Affairs application fee for citizenship by conferral is $560 for most adults. Concession rates apply for some (children, aged pensioners, holders of certain visas). Our professional fee for a straightforward conferral application is quoted at consultation.
Not a separate one. The citizenship test itself is conducted in English and covers basic English comprehension. If you're over 60 or have a specified condition, you may be exempt from the test entirely.
You attend a public ceremony (usually at your local council chambers), make the Australian citizenship pledge, and receive your certificate. From that moment you're an Australian citizen with all the rights that go with it, including an Australian passport application.
Only in narrow circumstances, mostly involving serious criminal conduct or fraud on the citizenship application. Simply moving overseas doesn't affect your citizenship once granted.
Citizenship applications get refused over small, avoidable mistakes. We check your eligibility, prepare your application, and guide you through the test and ceremony.
Content approved by Principal Migration Agent Pradeep Kaur (MARN 2619342). Last reviewed: June 2026.