Citizenship timings

Hi all,

I'm on a PR. I am wanting to leave Australia for 5 months this year and am wondering if it will affect me getting citizenship when the time comes? Here is my timeline:

- Feb 2015 - First got to Australia on a tourist visa

- May 2015 - Got a PR visa

- Late May 2017 to Oct 2017 - out of Australia

- Feb 2019 - Can I apply for citizenship now?

I hear you can be out of the country for up to 12 months in the 4 years it takes to get citizenship is this correct?

Also Can I apply for citizenship in Feb 2019 or because I'm out of the country for 5 months will I not be able to apply for citizenship till 5 months later i.e. June 2019?

Thanks!

It will delay things as you can't spend more than 90 days out of the country in the last year before applying. Also no more than a year way in total over the 4 years.

you need to put all your dates in the citizenship calculator to check. Did you return to the UK after entering on tourist visa and getting PR?

If you were here all the time then you add on enough time to ensure you meet the 90 day rule for the last year iykwim. Just adding 5 months won't do this.

Thanks I won't be out of the country for more than 90 days in the last year as 2017 is only year 2

On the calculator it says "Lawful residence means living in Australia on a valid Australian temporary or permanent visa." Does this mean a valid working visa or any type of visa i.e. a tourist visa?

Of course, silly me!

You will be able to apply in Feb 2019 as your tourist visa is a valid visa. If you leave again after that and the total time out is more than 12 months then you simply add the extra on.

We are in this position as we came before we migrated then spent more than a year back in UK so that time is counted as our year out. Now we can get citizenship three years from migrating ( as the year out counts) plus any days we have been out since then. As we keep going away we keep adding the weeks on! Currently it will be June this year.