A Model Citizen?

The Citizenship Act forms an important part of a Migration Agent's knowledge base.

Sure, we don't get hundreds of citizenship enquiries - I don't think it's a huge money spinner for anyone, but it is still vital that agents possess a good knowledge of how citizenship works.

Today I advised a client about their citizenship options. They have never lived in Australia, are citizens of a South-East Asian nation, and want to send their kids to school here.

So how could they be eligible for citizenship?

It transpired that my client's mother was an Australian citizen back in the mid-Twentieth century and though there is still an issue as to when the mother ceased (or in fact if she did cease) to be a citizen, we have been able to collect evidence that she was definitely a citizen when my client was born.

The result, under s16 of the Citizenship Act 2007, is that my client might just meet the criteria for citizenship. It's not easy though, and there are still a number of hurdles to jump.

So, what did I learn from this? Knowledge of the Citizenship Act is almost as important as knowledge of the Migration Act. It's a complex maze of "ifs" and "buts" so a great outcome for my client, may not have been if they hadn't sought advice...