Australian Permanent Residency for New Zealand Citizens

[FERQUENT]

If you are a New Zealand citizen who arrived in Australia before 1 September 1994 (even as an 1-day visitor), you might be eligible to apply for a Resident Return Visa.

 

 

[Parley]

Why would you need one ?

NZ citizens can live and work in Australia automatically anyway can't they ?

[FERQUENT]

You are absolutely right Parleycross. New Zealand citizens can come to Australia on a 444 Visa without any conditions imposed to their visa.

 

New Zealand citizens come to Australia, work very hard, pay their taxes but they don't have the right to receive any benefits from the Australian Government.

 

Only Australian Permanent Residents or citizens can get assistance from Centerlink, for example.

 

[Parley]

Not true.

Some benefits are available to NZ citizens but not the full range of benefits.

 

When did you move to Australia ?

[FERQUENT]

2006

 

You can have a look at the following website and you will understand what i am talking about.

[James Willingery]

Australia is a great country. NZers are lucky because they do enjoy privileges in Oz where no other nationalities can. Good on them. Most are very hard working, honest people.

[Roberta2]

Actually, the flow of people across the Tasman has recently been reversed - in large part because NZ has been able to undertake economic reform and Australia has not. The Closer Economic Agreement between Australia and NZ dates from 1983. The Howard government cut a lot of welfare benefits previously available to Kiwis. Why? Because NZ, whose Maori population is about 13%, allows unrestricted immigration from the South Pacific. Once in NZ, Tongans, Samoans etc get NZ citizenship and then can move to Australia. Because on average they have large families, relatively poor education etc the Howard government decided to impose restrictions on their access to Australian welfare. Now there is a sort of ritual played out. Every time the Poms elect a new PM, the OZ PM says "and what about those frozen Pom pensions that we have to top up? And when we get a new PM, the NZ PM pops over and says "what about this blatant discrimination against Kiwis?" Nothing is likely to change. If we were to end this "discrimination", there would be uncontrolled immigration from the Pacific Islands. Labor made no effort to change this when in government, for obvious reasons. As far as the frozen Pom pensions go, no British government is likely to change that because of the big hit to the budget. Currently, Australia is negotiating with Singapore a CER agreement which is supposed to be like the one with NZ. Doubt we will be worried about Singaporean wanting to go on welfare here.

[toOZ2012]

Didn't they recently announce a pathway for non-protected SCV holders to gain PR?

 

https://www.border.gov.au/Visasupport/Pages/an-additional-pathway.aspx

[silencio]

Actually, the flow of people across the Tasman has recently been reversed - in large part because NZ has been able to undertake economic reform and Australia has not. The Closer Economic Agreement between Australia and NZ dates from 1983. The Howard government cut a lot of welfare benefits previously available to Kiwis. Why? Because NZ, whose Maori population is about 13%, allows unrestricted immigration from the South Pacific. Once in NZ, Tongans, Samoans etc get NZ citizenship and then can move to Australia. Because on average they have large families, relatively poor education etc the Howard government decided to impose restrictions on their access to Australian welfare. Now there is a sort of ritual played out. Every time the Poms elect a new PM, the OZ PM says "and what about those frozen Pom pensions that we have to top up? And when we get a new PM, the NZ PM pops over and says "what about this blatant discrimination against Kiwis?" Nothing is likely to change. If we were to end this "discrimination", there would be uncontrolled immigration from the Pacific Islands. Labor made no effort to change this when in government, for obvious reasons. As far as the frozen Pom pensions go, no British government is likely to change that because of the big hit to the budget. Currently, Australia is negotiating with Singapore a CER agreement which is supposed to be like the one with NZ. Doubt we will be worried about Singaporean wanting to go on welfare here.

 

Sorry this sounds a little bit too racist for me. Australian government certainly not only imposed stricter rules for Tongans, Samoans etc it was ment to be for ALL NZ citizens! I remember my aunt telling me that in the early 90 before that change came into effect many white Kiwis came to Bondi/Sydney living in shared accommodation and the only thing they did the whole day after claiming unemployment benefits was surfing and finding the best wave. A little bit too black & white painting for me: on the one hand the 'hard working' white Kiwis and the Pacific Islander described as dole bludgers where I know the other way round!

[silencio]

Didn't they recently announce a pathway for non-protected SCV holders to gain PR?

 

https://www.border.gov.au/Visasupport/Pages/an-additional-pathway.aspx

 

I read somewhere that you must have lived in Australia for at least 5 years and earned a certain income (above 50,000).

[Gbye grey sky]

Actually, the flow of people across the Tasman has recently been reversed - in large part because NZ has been able to undertake economic reform and Australia has not. The Closer Economic Agreement between Australia and NZ dates from 1983. The Howard government cut a lot of welfare benefits previously available to Kiwis. Why? Because NZ, whose Maori population is about 13%, allows unrestricted immigration from the South Pacific. Once in NZ, Tongans, Samoans etc get NZ citizenship and then can move to Australia. Because on average they have large families, relatively poor education etc the Howard government decided to impose restrictions on their access to Australian welfare. Now there is a sort of ritual played out. Every time the Poms elect a new PM, the OZ PM says "and what about those frozen Pom pensions that we have to top up? And when we get a new PM, the NZ PM pops over and says "what about this blatant discrimination against Kiwis?" Nothing is likely to change. If we were to end this "discrimination", there would be uncontrolled immigration from the Pacific Islands. Labor made no effort to change this when in government, for obvious reasons. As far as the frozen Pom pensions go, no British government is likely to change that because of the big hit to the budget. Currently, Australia is negotiating with Singapore a CER agreement which is supposed to be like the one with NZ. Doubt we will be worried about Singaporean wanting to go on welfare here.

 

Good point. Aus PM may be in a stronger negotiating position with the UK now out of the EU and anxious for favourable trade agreements.

 

Apologies for going off-topic.

[toOZ2012]

I read somewhere that you must have lived in Australia for at least 5 years and earned a certain income (above 50,000).

 

That's right and seems like a reasonable requirement.

[toOZ2012]

Good point. Aus PM may be in a stronger negotiating position with the UK now out of the EU and anxious for favourable trade agreements.

 

Apologies for going off-topic.

 

Something like an E3 visa should be in order. I read that about 100,000 Aussies are at risk of losing their visa trying to meet the ever increasing requirements.

[Roberta2]

Yes, my son lucky that he now able to work in UK permanently - been there over five years, had to do some test or other. There have been a lot of complaints that young Australians going to UK now have to meet much tougher income requirements than before, but I don't know details.

[Roberta2]

There was a lot of blather from Brexiteers about the "Anglosphere". Boris in particular. Some of it here too, among Abbott supporters, especially the far right commentators in The Australian (owned by Murdoch.) But not even Abbott openly supported Brexit, though John Howard did. So what does that mean? Australia and Canada, presumably. Australia has moved on from all of that, and I strongly suspect Canada has too. Only 3% of our trade is now with the UK. Half our population was born overseas or have parents who were - and "overseas" is now much less likely to be in Britain. We will undoubtedly become a Republic after the Queen dies. I don't see how the UK would have much leverage with us now when it comes to trade. Or immigration/work rights etc. We shall see, but no one should hold breath on this one. The days of "Empire Preference" are long gone. Our racially based immigration policy has been dead for five decades etc etc. None of that means of course that most people here are not keen to see May get what she can out the mess she has inherited. She shows every sign of being a pragmatist.