Citizenship for Children Born in Australia

If you’re not an Australian citizen and have a child who was born in Australia, would they be eligible for citizenship? A common question asked.

Yes, your child may be eligible to be an Australian Citizen, but under certain conditions.

According to DOHA “Minors born on or after 20 August 1986, who did not acquire Australian Citizenship at birth, automatically acquire Australian Citizenship, if they have been residing in Australia throughout a period of 10 years from the day they were born. In such cases, the minor automatically become an Australian Citizen on their 10^th birthday.

The parent’s migration status is needless in such cases. Apart from this, there have been various attempts to bring parent’s migration status in account., but still, it hasn’t been approved so far and probably very unlikely to happen soon. All in all, a minor should not be castigated because of the parents.

Applying for your child’s citizenship.

Citizenship application for a child under 16 years of age can be made by a responsible parent or the guardian of the child.

Applications for citizenship can be made online or via paper application form in some case.

Documents you will need to make an application:

• Identity declaration including a passport size photo
• A document showing the photo and the name of the child – Passport is a good example.
• Birth Certificate with details of the parents
• If the child is in custody of a guardian – orders related to their custody may be asked with the application.
• If there has been any change of name of the child, documentation will need to be submitted.
• Evidence to show the status of both the parents at the time of the birth
• Identity documents of parents – A document with their photo, signature and current address is required.

All documentation must be in English if not, English translation will be required for the application.

The child must be an ordinarily resident in Australia for their first 10 years of age. The child may be temporarily absent from the country if Australia has not ceased to be the permanent place of residence for the child. For example, holidays will definitely not be considered to be a significant absence.

The DOHA will consider

• The nature and extent of the period, the child was absent from the country.
• Length of the time period the child physically resided in Australia.
• If the applicant considers Australia to be their home
• Emotional & Social ties with Australia

If the child before the age of 10 is removed with their family from Australia under the Migration Act and had no right to return into the country, they can not be considered as Ordinarily Resident of Australia

What are the benefits of having an Australian Citizen child?

The biggest advantage of having an Australian Citizen child is that this would open doors for a Parent Visa (Subclass 143)

Want to know more? Contact Education Embassy