Any person who applies as a citizen of Australia gets legal recognition as an Australian and gains all privileges and responsibilities like a person who was born in this country. For children who are 16 or 17 years of age and wish to acquire Australian citizenship there are some special eligibility criteria which they should meet in order to accomplish this acquisition successfully.
Eligibility criteria
- When applying the person must be a permanent resident of Australia as this is a core requisite for applying as an Australian citizen
- The residence proof requirements must be fulfilled when the application is being filled
- The applicant must possess the basic knowledge of the English language
- Must understand the privileges, roles and responsibilities which a person having an Australian citizenship enjoys
- Also, the applicant must be ready to continue residing in Australia or must commit about maintaining a close and continuous relationship with this country
Other things to consider
- Any applicant who is 16 or 17 years of age must produce a National Police Check which has been verified by the National Police Checking Service or NPCS.
- Australian citizenship will not be granted in case any legal proceedings against an offence are ongoing for the person applying for the same
- If a person has been released from the prison in less than 2 years after serving a 12 months imprisonment, citizenship is banned
- Certain conditions must be fulfilled so as to provide against any breaches for the government of this country, to acquire the citizenship
Options for an applicant of 16 or 17 years
Any person who is 16 or 17 years old can apply for the citizenship of Australia and for this completely and carefully filling the Form 1290, which is Application for Australian citizenship – Other situations, is mandatory. The filled form must be submitted along with the other documents that are required for acquiring the citizenship successfully.
Summary
Any person who is of 16 or 17 years and is applying for a citizen of Australia, then their application will be considered under the special case which is different from the usual applicants list. You just need filling the form correctly, while providing the required information and the documents is enough. So, even if you are not born in Australia, you are eligible for the citizenship of this beautiful land, while fulfilling the required formalities needed for the same.
