From July 1 to May 31, 2018, more than 132000 applications for naturalization through grant were approved. (SBS pictures)
According to the latest data from (Home Affairs), Australia`s Ministry of Home Affairs, the waiting period for admission to Australian nationality has been shortened and the waiting list for naturalization has decreased over the past year, while the number of naturalization applications has increased significantly, according to the SBS.
"between July 1 and May 31, 2018, more than 132000 applications for (by conferral) naturalization were approved, up from 70000 in the same period last year, an increase of 88 percent," said (David Coleman), minister for immigration and multiculturalism. "between July 1 and May 31, 2018, more than 132000 applications for (by conferral) naturalization were approved, up 88 percent from 70000 in the same period last year."
Gao Min attributed these achievements to a series of reforms implemented by the Ministry of the Interior. The new measures include the formation of a dedicated team within the Ministry of the Interior that focuses on naturalization cases; upgrading the system to automate the process; and investing A $9 million in hiring to train more people to ensure that applications are accepted as efficiently as possible.
"as a result of these measures, the number of pending applications for naturalization by grant fell to about 228000, down from nearly 250000 last year," Gao said. "the figure is expected to continue to decline.
For 75 percent of applicants naturalized through the grant, the waiting time has shrunk from 20 months in April to 16 months in June, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
However, despite the shortening of the waiting period for naturalization, the number of approved numbers has increased, but there are still 200,000 people in the country, which have been waiting for their naturalization applications for approval.
Jill (Harshdeep Singh Gill), an immigration based in Melbourne, is currently registered as a nurse. He submitted his application for naturalization in September 2018 and was finally invited to the naturalization ceremony last Monday.
Jill, who was approved as an Australian citizen within less than 10 months, said his naturalization exam had been advanced, speeding up his application process. "my original exam date was September 2019, but I kept querying online and was finally able to set my exam date to May 2019. I passed with full marks."
"I encourage people to go to the relevant websites to keep looking for rescheduled test dates, which may help you advance the exam dates."
