When can I apply for Australian citizenship if I enter the country with a 188 visa?

If I obtain a 188 visa, when can I apply for Australian citizenship? Do I have to transfer to an 888 permanent visa before I can apply for naturalization?

Answers

On November 20, 2018 Angela Julian-Armitage answered:

Depending on which stream of the 188 visa you are looking at applying for, you will need to obtain permanent residency prior to being eligible after a two-year period for citizenship.

On November 20, 2018 James Hall answered:

The general residency requirement for citizenship by conferral is four years of stay in Australia, including at least one year as a permanent resident. Generally, you may be absent from Australia for up to 12 months in total over the four years, including no more than 90 days in the last year. The earliest you could possibly apply is one year after you have obtained your 888 (assuming you meet the stay requirements, and assuming you've had your 188 for at least three years).

On November 26, 2018 Desmond Ang answered:

Hi there, 188 is a provisional visa. The requirement of the citizenship is to have met at least two years of periods as a PR holder. So, you can combine two years of a provisional visa, 188 periods and another two years after the conversion to PR before applying for naturalization. Of course, other that the above, there are other requirements such a police clearance, citizenship test, etc.

On November 21, 2018 Christina Lim answered:

At the moment, residency requirements for citizenship eligibility are four years of living in Australia, with at least 12 months during the four years on a permanent resident visa before the date of application. It is hard to tell if and when citizenship criteria will change by the time you have achieved four years, but based on current ruling, you are entitled to apply after four years of staying here, provided you have already been granted the 888 for at least 12 months prior to citizenship application.

On November 24, 2018 Quentin Kuo answered:

Under the current citizenship act, you are required to show you: lived three years out of four in Australia.; lived in Australia for 12 months as PR in Australia; was no more than 90 days absent from Australia, unless you have continuing ties to Australia.So yes, 888 should be granted before you apply for naturalization.

On December 01, 2018 Lisa De Leon answered:

Yes, you will need to hold permanent residency before applying for citizenship. The length of time needed before you can apply for a permanent 888 visa will depend on which stream you applied under for the 188 visa. This varies from 12 months to four years. The current requirements for citizenship are that you have resided in Australia for at least four years with a minimum of 12 months as a permanent resident.

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