Does leaving Oz for short periods, when you have PR, impact time accrued towards citizenship?

[tweedienicks]

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

[Bungo]

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.

[Tamara]

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.

[Bungo]

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.

[xxlornaxx]

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?

[AJ]

 

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

[MaggieMay24]

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.

[Bungo]

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.

[Bungo]

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.

[AJ]

 

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

[Bungo]

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.

[AJ]

 

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

[Bungo]

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.