Indians constantly seek citizenship of various countries like the UK, USA, and Australia. Australia is one of the favorite immigration destinations with over 28000 Indian nationals opting for Australian citizenship last year. Both Australia and India are happy with the population shift as the Indians have contributed to the Australian progress in a big way. According to Migration Agents in Brisbane, the figure has overtaken Britain in this context.

The new Australian citizens

The last financial year has seen a substantial rise in the number of migrants. With over 145,000 migrants getting the nod for citizenship, there is an 80 percent increase in PR options in Australia as against last year which stood at only 81000.

The time frame

While the department specifies the minimum time frame for processing the application, there can be unexpected delays in some cases. While some get the approval surprisingly quickly, some wait for more than a year to get their desired citizenship. Some nationals have reported getting the approval as early as 55 days while some of them had to wait for more than 14 months for the same. The reasons are unknown to us; maybe the department has its way of working. However, the delay could cost many potential employees for their dream job. Some unlucky ones have not been able to join their much-awaited employment opportunity due to the delay in the application clearance. It is great to know that out of the 145,000 people who have been granted citizenship in the last financial year, over 35,000 belong to India. Some even opt for Working Holiday Visa. Working Holiday Visa for Indians is also an appealing option.

Councils and citizenship ceremonies

The Federal Government has come up with a new set of rules which specifies that the local councils will be required to hold citizenship ceremonies. The day chosen for these ceremonies is Australia Day. The move has been recommended after it was reported that many councils had canceled Australia Day celebrations. So the councils which fail to hold the citizenship ceremony on the 26th of January will lose the right to hold them, thereafter, the government will be handling the event directly. It is a direct indication to the councils that they will have to face the consequences if they do not comply with the rules.There is more information about citizenship ceremonies. There has been an introduction of a new dress code which the people will have to follow. Australia Day is the most popular day as people come out in large numbers to attend a citizenship ceremony. Almost 90,000 people were granted Australian citizenship on Australia Day since 2012, which included 2,600 Indians. They were awarded citizenship on 26 January this year. This fact corroborates the fact that Indians are a popular choice for Australian citizenship and Australia is a favorite migration destination for many Indians.