Help - Requirement for permanent residency and citizenship??

[Guest Lisa2110]

Hi

My fiance and I both currently have 457 visas and we were just wondering whether anyone knows how long we have to have these visas for before we can apply to be a permanent resident? A

Also, does anyone know how long we have to be a permanent resident before we can apply for citizenship?

I have tried looking through some threads and on www.immi.gov.au but that has too many options! My fiance is currently in employment and is an engineer so he is on the skilled shortage list if this makes a difference.

Thanks for your help

[Peach]

if you are eligible for a permanent visa, you can apply straight away. If you do it within 2 years of getting the 457 you will need to do a skills assessment. To be clear, you never get permanent residency on a 457, you need to apply for, pay a new fee and get a permanent residency visa.

 

to get citizenship you need to have been resident in Australia for four years (at least three of them need to be on a permanent visa).

[Rupert]

Hi

My fiance and I both currently have 457 visas and we were just wondering whether anyone knows how long we have to have these visas for before we can apply to be a permanent resident? A

Also, does anyone know how long we have to be a permanent resident before we can apply for citizenship?

I have tried looking through some threads and on www.immi.gov.au but that has too many options! My fiance is currently in employment and is an engineer so he is on the skilled shortage list if this makes a difference.

Thanks for your help

 

You don't have to do any particular set time on a 457 before you can apply for a permanent resident visa. Many people apply for the permanent resident visa, like the skilled migrant visa, without even going to Australia.

 

If you qualify for a permanent resident visa then you can apply for it now; read about skilled migrant visas (175 or 176) on http://www.immi.gov.au. Another permanent visa is the ENS visa, you need a willing employer to sponsor you for this one.

 

The main point you should take away, is that the 457 will not transform into PR after a set period of time, you will have to qualify for and apply for a permanent visa to get PR.

 

You will need to be a permanent resident before you can apply for citizenship. You need four years in Australia overall and one year as PR.

[Quinkla]

to get citizenship you need to have been resident in Australia for four years (at least three of them need to be on a permanent visa).

This isn't quite right - From 1 July 2010 all citizenship applicants will need to meet this residence requirement at the time they apply for Australian citizenship.

 

• You must have been living in Australia on a valid Australian visa for 4 years immediately before applying, including 1 year as a permanent resident, and

• You must not have been absent from Australia for more than 1 year during the 4 year period, including no more than 90 days in the year immediately before applying.

(http://www.citizenship.gov.au/learn/law-and-policy/legis_changes/res_req_changes/)

[twister292]

 

to get citizenship you need to have been resident in Australia for four years (at least three of them need to be on a permanent visa).

 

To get citizenship you need to be in Australia for a total of 4 years, of which the last one year has to be as a permanent resident.

 

Your total absence from Australia in the 4 years immediately before you apply for citizenship should not exceed 1 year, and you should not have absence from australia totalling to more than 90 days in the last 1 year.

[Peach]

Doh! Apologies for the bad info. I should have gone and confirmed my facts.