Key Points
- The government will create a pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders in Australia.
- Those who have lived in Australia for at least for four years won't need permanent residency before applying.
- The move coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement.
Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders living in Australia will be able to claim citizenship as the Albanese government continues its shake-up of the migration system.
, could see roughly 400,000 Kiwis of the estimated 700,000 living in Australia eligible for citizenship, according to the Australian government.
The changes overturn a 2001 decision by John Howard's coalition government to strip New Zealanders of citizenship access, forcing them onto special category or temporary residency visas.
They mean that, from July, previous hurdles to citizenship including income and health tests will be removed, allowing New Zealanders to become citizens after four years of living in Australia.
The federal government has announced a priority list for temporary visa holders it wants to fast-track through international border restrictions. Source: Flickr
These include access to key welfare benefits, student loans, disability support and public housing, being able to work for the public service or in the armed forces and voting.
Australians living in New Zealand already enjoy all of those benefits.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was proud to offer , many working and "building their lives" in Australia, more certainty.
"Australia and New Zealand have a deep friendship, which has been forged through our history, shared values and common outlook ... I look forward to strengthening our relationship," he said in a statement on Friday.
Standard assessments such as character checks and English competency tests will still apply, as they do for all would-be citizens.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will arrive in Australia on Saturday, his second visit since , and is expected to discuss the changes alongside his Australian counterpart the following day.
Mr Hipkins said the announcement "brings our nations closer together".
"This is the biggest improvement in the rights of New Zealanders living in Australia in a generation and restores most of the rights Kiwis had in Australia before they were revoked in 2001," he said.
"Most of us know someone who's moved across the Tasman. They work hard, pay taxes and deserve a fair go."
New Zealand citizen 'ecstatic' at change
Perth resident Sandy Boyce, who is in her 50s, became emotional as she learned the news, telling SBS News the decision ended the sense of "limbo" she'd felt since first arriving in Australia in 2008.
Ms Boyce has since lived in every state except NSW, while her daughter and sole grandchild — who she described as "my world" — are based in Brisbane.
"I always had this thing in the back of my mind that it wouldn't work out here, that I wouldn't be able to retire here," she said.
"I'm ecstatic [today]. There are no words. If I were a drinker, I could go out and get drunk. I don't drink, but I literally could tonight."
New Zealander Sandy Boyce, who moved to Australia in 2008, says she is "ecstatic" about the changes. Credit: Supplied
"This is our place that we want to retire [in]. The journey has just been too hard to navigate to become a citizen. I just want to become a citizen. I want that security of knowing I can be a citizen," she said.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said the decision, which comes into effect from July, will make "a significant difference" to the lives of New Zealanders living in Australia.
"Australia is a country built on citizenship. It is only fair the opportunity to become an Australian citizen is made easier for our closest friends and allies," he said.
In February, , which had seen New Zealand citizens sent home for committing minor crimes, despite having spent the vast majority of their lives across the Tasman.
The policy, a key friction point between Wellington and Canberra, had prompted Ms Ardern to publicly accuse then-prime minister Scott Morrison of deporting "your people and your problems" during a joint press conference in Sydney.
But under guidelines introduced by Mr Giles, authorities will be required to consider how long a person had been living in Australia before deporting them.
- With additional reporting by AAP.
