Indian migrants top source of citizenship in Australia

Over 2, 10,000 applicants awaiting for Australian citizenship currently and among them 30,000 are Indians. This makes 12% of the total count or 1-in-7 applicants are from Indian origin.

Indian migrants have emerged as the top source of citizenship by conferral in Australia during the last five years, overtaking the United Kingdom. 

During the five years from 2013 to 2017, over 118,000 people born in India have pledged their allegiance to Australia by becoming Australian citizens.

Indian-born applicants also top the list of visa recipients by country under Australia’s annual permanent immigration program.

Number of people who acquired Australian citizenship via conferral, by top 10 nationalities (1 July  2018 to 30 June 2019)
Nationality	No. of people
India	28,470
United Kingdom	13,364
Philippines	9,267
China*	7,974
Sri Lanka	4,861
Vietnam	3,501
Pakistan	3,360
Nepal	3,294
Iraq	3,087
South Korea	3,062
Other	47,434
Total	127,674

Source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au

Update on Citizenship Processing Times 2019

Australian citizenship applications are being processed faster than ever, with an 83 percent increase in the number of citizenship applications finalised in the last half of 2018, compared to the same period of time in 2017.

The Minister of Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Mr David Coleman, states that the investment has helped boost available resources at the Department of Home Affairs, which has quickened the processing of citizenship applications.

The Government is currently creating a more efficient and functionable citizenship processing system. This improvement will see an even higher rate of Australian citizenship applications being processed in coming years.

However, it is not all good news for those applying for an Australian citizenship. In spite of the increase in the number of applications finalised, the waitlist for citizenship approvals is at an all-time high, with 245,000 citizenship applications awaiting an outcome.

As of June 2018, the average processing waiting times have increased from 14 months to 18 months.

Application type	Period counted	Timeframe for 75% of applications	Timeframe for  90% of applications
Australian citizenship by conferral (general eligibility and other situations)	From date of application to decision	17 months	19 months
	From date of approval to ceremony	5 months	6 months
	From date of application to ceremony	19 months	22 months

Source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au

How do I reduce the waiting time for my Australian Citizenship application?

Actual processing times may vary due to individual circumstances, which means the Department assesses each application on a case-by-case basis. Changes in application volumes, seasonal peaks and complex cases will have a direct impact upon the time taken to process your Australian citizenship application. Fortunately, there are some factors that you can control that will help you secure your Australian citizenship sooner. These include;

• Whether you included all necessary documents in the application you lodged;
• How fast you respond to requests for more information;
• How long it takes to perform required checks on the supporting information provided
• How long it takes to retrieve other information from external agencies, including character, national security and health requirements;
• The time taken to attend a Citizenship Ceremony or receive a Citizenship Certificate

Exact statistics of citizenship processing times available in home affairs website:

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizenship/citizenship-processing-times