Most frequent reasons for Citizenship refusal

Australia is a nation built on immigrants, and citizenship is seen as the final step in the journey to becoming an Australian. However, every year there are a number of people who are refused citizenship. There are a number of reasons why this can happen, but some of the most common include failing the citizenship test, failing to meet the residency requirements, or having a criminal record. In some cases, people are simply not aware of the requirements and are refused as a result. Whatever the reason, being refused citizenship can be a frustrating and disappointing experience. Fortunately, there are ways to appeal the decision or reapply at a later stage. For most people, becoming an Australian citizen is simply a matter of time and patience.

The most frequent reason for Australian Citizenship refusal is failing the character test. To become an Australian citizen, you must be of good character. The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs may refuse your application if they believe that you are not of good character. The following things could make you fail the character test:

a) A conviction for an offence against a law of the Commonwealth, a State or Territory punishable by imprisonment for one year or more; or

b) A conviction for an offence against a foreign law that, if committed in Australia, would be punishable by imprisonment for one year or more; or

c) Having been sentenced to death; or

d)Having been sentenced to imprisonment for life; or

e) Having been sentenced to imprisonment for 12 months or more; or

f) Having been associated (formally or informally) with a person, group or organisation suspected of involvement in criminal conduct; or

g) Having been a member of, or having participated in, activities of an organisation that has been involved in terrorism; or

h) Having been found by a court in Australia to have engaged in unacceptable behaviour that causes serious harm to the Australian community or a segment of the Australian

If the Department of Home Affairs or the Minister of Immigration refuse your application for Australian Citizenship, we might be able to help you by reviewing the refusal and checking if there have been any errors made. We will build a strategy to either:

- Represent you in a new citizenship application, or

- Appeal the refusal in the AAT

If you are in this situation and need assistance, our migration agency can help you. Get the right advice from the experts. please do not hesitate to contact us.

Note: It is important to act quickly when your citizenship application is refused. If you miss the AAT appeal deadline, you might not have any other chance to appeal and review the decision.