Transitional arrangements from the 1948 Act to the New Act
Questions about Transitional arrangements
I became a citizen under the Australian Citizenship Act 1948. Am I still a citizen?
Yes. The Australian Citizenship (Transitional and Consequential) Act 2007 specifically states that a person who is an Australian citizen under the Australian Citizenship Act 1948 is taken to be a citizen under the Australian Citizenship Act 2007.
I applied to become a citizen under the Australian Citizenship Act 1948. What happens to me?
If your application was approved prior to the commencement of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 you would have been assessed against the Australian Citizenship Act 1948.
If not, the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 will apply except for the residence requirement - in other words you will have to have been in Australia for at least two (2) of the five (5) years before applying.
I applied to become a citizen under Australian Citizenship Act 1948. My application was approved but I have not yet made the pledge. What happens to me?
Your approval to become a citizen is not affected. As was the case before the changes, you will be required to attend a citizenship ceremony and make the pledge of commitment in order to become an Australian citizen. The formalities concerning the ceremony are the same under the new Act as the old Act.
If you have already been advised of your ceremony from the department or your Local Government you should attend as per the advice. If you have not already been advised you should wait for such advice - it can take a few months.
For further information about attending a ceremony you can call the Citizenship Information Line.
Telephone: 131 880