Move for tougher pathway

THE Federal Government will unveil details of its planned changes to make it tougher to get Australian citizenship this week.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton will introduce to Parliament legislation that extends permanent residency from one year to four before people can apply for citizenship, toughens English language competencies, introduces a values test, and requires people to demonstrate they have integrated into Australian society.

He has briefed Labor on the bill and called on the opposition to support its passage through Parliament.

“It is a bill that suits the times we’re living in and the Government is very serious about making sure that people who pledge their allegiance to our country abide by our laws and our values,” the minister said yesterday.

The longer period people had to stay as permanent residents before applying for citizenship was a key component of the changes because it gave them more time to demonstrate they had integrated into Australian society through things such as holding down a job or making sure their kids went to school.

It allowed the Government to look at a longer period before deciding if people should be able to become citizens, rather than only a “pointin-time snapshot”.

Four years was on the shorter side of requirements across other Western democracies, Mr Dutton said.