Australian Citizen Vs Permanent Resident of Australia – 4 Prominent Differences!

Do you want to know the difference between Australian Citizen Vs Permanent Resident of Australia? If yes, then you must read this guide till the end. As we’re going to pen down the important facts about the Australian permanent residents and citizens.

Many people think that Australian permanent residents and citizens are the same. However, there’re some major points that differentiate both terms. Whether you’re a permanent resident or citizen, you can enjoy amazing benefits while living in Australia. The Australian Government facilitates its people with the best healthcare and education system.

Australia is a well-developed country. It has a strong economy. There’re numerous job opportunities for skilled workers in Australia. International students get amazing job opportunities after their studies. They can even work in Australia during their studies to obtain job experience. It helps them to get to know about the Australian workplace.

The Australian Government offers many visas which can help you settle in Australia permanently. If you get PR in Australia, it’ll also lead you to Australian Citizenship. However, you must know the major difference between Australian Citizen Vs Permanent Resident of Australia

In this guide, we’ll let you know what is PR and the major differences between Australian Citizen Vs Permanent Resident of Australia.

Table of Contents

Who’s a Permanent Resident of Australia?

A permanent resident of Australia is someone who lives in Australia on a permanent visa. The Department of Home Affairs offers Family Visas and Skilled Visas to live in Australia permanently. Permanent visa holders can live stay in Australia indefinitely.

The Australian permanent residents have multiple travel facility. Being a permanent resident, you can travel in and outside Australia for the initial 5 years. You can enroll in Medicare, to get the healthcare services in Australia. You can also work and study in Australia anywhere you want.

Who’s an Australian Citizen?

As a citizen, you can proudly say that “I’m an Australian”. There’re different ways through which you can become a citizen of Australia.

They include:

Citizenship by Conferral
Citizenship by Birth
Citizenship by Descent
Citizenship by Adoption under a law in force in a State/Territory

If you’re a migrant, you can become an Australian citizen by citizenship by conferral. If you want to apply for citizenship by conferral, you must be a permanent resident of Australia for the last 12 months. You must have been living in Australia for 4 years on a valid visa. Additionally, a citizenship test will also be required if you’re under the age of 60.

What is a Citizenship Test?

To apply for Australian citizenship, you will need to pass a citizenship test. You don’t need to sit in the eligibility test if you’re:

Under 18 years of age or above 60
Suffer from hearing, speech, or sight disability

The purpose of the Australian citizenship test is to help future Australian citizens to understand:

Australian values
Australian traditions
National symbols of Australia
Australian history

The Citizenship test is an important part to ensure that you’ve the ability to fully contribute to the Australian community as a citizen. It leads to social harmony and successful integration into the Australian community.

Watch

A Step By Step Guide To Get Australian Citizenship In 2022 | Benefits & More.

What is the Difference between Australian Citizen Vs Permanent Resident of Australia?

Australian Permanent Resident	Australian Citizen
As a permanent resident, you can travel in and outside Australia for the initial 5 years on your visa. You’ve to apply for a Resident Return Visa to return to Australia. This visa allows you to return as an Australian permanent resident.	Being an Australian citizen, you have the automatic right to enter Australia if you travel internationally.
You can’t vote in the Australian Government elections as a permanent resident. Though, you were enrolled to vote as a British subject before 1984, so you can be eligible to vote in the elections.	You have the right to vote in the Australian Government elections.
You can be eligible for benefits and services from the Australian Government. Your eligibility depends on the rules set by the relevant government agency in Australia.	You can avail all benefits and government services such as jobkeeper, jobseeker, etc.
You can be deported from Australia if you’re in breach of your visa conditions or violate any rules.	You can never be deported from Australia.

Conditions for being an Australian citizen.

An Australian citizen application can usually be made by anyone over 18 years old. It is suggested that they follow the following general rules:

They must pass the citizenship test to become citizens (this rule does not apply to applicants over 60).
When they apply for Australian citizenship and when they are judged, they must be a permanent resident.

The candidates must meet the requirements for where they live, which is mainly:

Before an applicant can apply for citizenship, they must have lived in Australia for at least four years.
After living in a country for a year or more, they must be a permanent resident.
They can’t leave Australia for longer than a year.
Within the past year, the candidate may not have left Australia for more than 90 days.

The applicants will be expected to live in Australia or to keep living there, or to keep close ties with Australia.
The candidate must meet the requirements for health and character

Australian Citizen Vs Permanent Resident of Australia – Final Words!

The difference between Australian Citizen Vs Permanent Resident of Australia is very important to know. Australian citizens and permanent residents aren’t the same. They’ve different rights and entitlements. Getting PR in Australia is the major step to obtaining Australian citizenship. To learn about the application process for Australian PR, you can book a consultation with us.

Nasir Nawaz

I’m Nasir Nawaz. I’m a registered migration consultant in Australia. I am based in Sydney. I’ve studied Master of Laws at the University of New South Wales. I’m providing immigration services for several years.

Consult with me for legal advice on Australian visas to permanently live, study, and work in Australia.