tweedienicks Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Hi All I can't seem to get an answer when I phone immigration on the following: I was granted PR in October 2014 and want to go for citizenship when I qualify, which I believe is 4 years of being in the country. I wanted to go on holiday to the UK for a few weeks but if I leave and then come back into the country, will the clock start again in terms of building up my four years, or are the two weeks just subtracted from the time I've built up? I was told to phone immigration again when I came back into the country after leaving but I would like to know up front, before booking a holiday, what the consequences are in terms of the time I have already accrued. Does anyone know the answer to this or has anyone had any experience? All help greatly appreciated. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 It is fine, so long as you don't spend more than a year out of the country or 90 days in your final year. This information is readily available on the citizenship website, worth having a read around, you will find sample tests there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamara Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Hi All I can't seem to get an answer when I phone immigration on the following: I was granted PR in October 2014 and want to go for citizenship when I qualify, which I believe is 4 years of being in the country. I wanted to go on holiday to the UK for a few weeks but if I leave and then come back into the country, will the clock start again in terms of building up my four years, or are the two weeks just subtracted from the time I've built up? I was told to phone immigration again when I came back into the country after leaving but I would like to know up front, before booking a holiday, what the consequences are in terms of the time I have already accrued. Does anyone know the answer to this or has anyone had any experience? All help greatly appreciated. Thanks We arrived here with PR visas in 2007 when the citizenship requirement was 2 years. My OH left to sort things out and was out of Oz on 6 occasions during the next 2 years. His entire time out of the country was added onto his 2 year requirement and the rest of the family became citizens but he was only allowed to become a citizen months after we did when his combined 2 years were up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 We arrived here with PR visas in 2007 when the citizenship requirement was 2 years. My OH left to sort things out and was out of Oz on 6 occasions during the next 2 years. His entire time out of the country was added onto his 2 year requirement and the rest of the family became citizens but he was only allowed to become a citizen months after we did when his combined 2 years were up. It might have worked like that when it was only two years (I do not know), but it does not work like this today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxlornaxx Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 So you can leave for say 11 Months (as long as not in final year) and stil get citizenshjp 4 years from when u entered aus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 So you can leave for say 11 Months (as long as not in final year) and stil get citizenshjp 4 years from when u entered aus?No it doesnt Lorna, I was home for approx 8 months while my OH still worked here and he was able to apply in January last year and I wasnt allowed to until May, then unfortunately due to a funeral I had to go home again for 3 weeks in the April and theyadded a lot more time on again. We had also both been home approx 3 weeks every year for 4 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieMay24 Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 So you can leave for say 11 Months (as long as not in final year) and stil get citizenshjp 4 years from when u entered aus? Yes, as long as you weren't gone more than 12 months during the entire 4 years before you apply for citizenship, and no more than 3 months in the year before you apply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 No it doesnt Lorna, I was home for approx 8 months while my OH still worked here and he was able to apply in January last year and I wasnt allowed to until May, then unfortunately due to a funeral I had to go home again for 3 weeks in the April and theyadded a lot more time on again. We had also both been home approx 3 weeks every year for 4 years Your eight months must have been in your fourth year then? If it had been during the first three years and your total time outside Austrlaia did not exceed 12 months then you would have been eligible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 So you can leave for say 11 Months (as long as not in final year) and stil get citizenshjp 4 years from when u entered aus? Yep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Your eight months must have been in your fourth year then? If it had been during the first three years and your total time outside Austrlaia did not exceed 12 months then you would have been eligible.no it wasn't actually I arrived sept 2009 and went back for 8 months November 2011 till July 2012. I am talking from experience not just from what I have read somewhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 no it wasn't actually I arrived sept 2009 and went back for 8 months November 2011 till July 2012. I am talking from experience not just from what I have read somewhere The rules are clear. So long as you hold a valid visa throughout, you are allowed 12 months out of the country over the four years, and no more than 90 days in the final year. If you meet this criteria, then you were simply misinformed about your eligibility, not unusual for immigration to get things wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 The rules are clear. So long as you hold a valid visa throughout, you are allowed 12 months out of the country over the four years, and no more than 90 days in the final year. If you meet this criteria, then you were simply misinformed about your eligibility, not unusual for immigration to get things wrong.Obviously you are an expert, maybe you should get a job with DIPB! It doesnt matter now anyway I have done my citizenship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Obviously you are an expert, maybe you should get a job with DIPB! It doesnt matter now anyway I have done my citizenship No it doesn't matter to you, or me either, but it might matter to someone else. I am definitely not an expert but fortunately it doesn't take an expert to be able to read this criteria either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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