The latest news on Australian immigration, including changes to regulations, government policy announcements, and analysis of media releases affecting current and future applications.
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Disclaimer: Any posted material is not intended to be immigration advice and does not purport to represent all requirements for a successful application or applications. No person should act on the basis of the material contained in any post without obtaining advice relevant to their situation, and without considering and taking professional advice where necessary. All opinion expressed is that of the author and nobody else.
The coronavirus pandemic did not stop the administration of more Australian citizenship tests in 2019-20 than 2018-19. The fail rate for the citizenship test was over 3 per cent higher in 2019-20 at 15.6 per cent. Last year also saw a record number of people conferred citizenship with more than 200,000 people becoming Australian citizens by conferral.
Read MoreImmiAccount and other major online services provided by the Department of Home Affairs will be down for scheduled maintenance from 7 pm (AEST) 30 June 2020 until 9 am (AEST) 1 July 2020. While there has been no news on any changes to visa application charges or other migration- and citizenship-related fees, the surcharge for Visa and Mastercard payments and PayPal will increase, with an important warning for any applicant seeking to avoid surcharges altogether by using BPAY.
Read MoreAustralian citizenship ceremonies, which includes the pledge of commitment as a citizen of the Commonwealth of Australia, will be moved online with one-on-one ceremonies currently being tested. While this is good news for the 85,000 people currently awaiting this final step, those waiting for a citizenship interview and test will unfortunately have to wait until social distancing measures due to the coronavirus are lifted.
Read MoreA High Court decision on whether Australian Aborigines who are not Australian citizens can be subject to migration laws was handed down this week that may have complex ramifications on how to apply this decision to people meeting this definition.
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