26 Jan, 2018 5:00am . How to Become a New Zealand Citizen. After living in New Zealand for nearly 12 years, Rhonwyn became a New Zealand citizen in September 2016. The content is detailed with eligible criteria and other requirements needed to get this citizenship. Services › Citizenship › Become a New Zealand citizen - Part 2 . Once you are settled into New Zealand you may decide you would like to become a citizen. Four Parts: Determining Eligibility for Citizenship by Descent Determining Eligibility for Citizenship Through Grant Gaining Citizenship Gaining a Permanent Resident Visa Community Q&A. Favorite Answer. Before 1948, New Zealanders were simply British subjects. New Zealand nationality law details the conditions in which a person holds New Zealand nationality. [24] Combined with the approaching independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, comprehensive nationality law reform was necessary at this point to address ideas that were incompatible with the previous system.[25]. This certificate will provide evidence of your citizenship for purposes such as applying for a passport: see How to obtain a passport. [58], Although the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau are all part of the Realm of New Zealand, entry and immigration into these jurisdictions is controlled separately from the country of New Zealand. New Zealand receives around 30,000 citizenship applications every year. [35] Children born overseas are New Zealand citizens by descent if either parent is a citizen otherwise than by descent. To become an Australian citizen, one must first become a Permanent Resident and meet the residential requirements for citizenship. I have lived in Victoria for 12 years since 2 February 2002. It was not until 1951 that Chinese people were finally allowed by law to apply for permanent residence and citizenship again. The third requirement, specifying minimum periods for having been in NZ over the last five years, can be waived if you meet those requirements in relation to the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau. New Zealand citizens are also considered domestic students for the purposes of higher degrees by research and therefore eligible for Research Training Program scholarships. When New Zealand became a British colony in 1840, people living in New Zealand became British subjects. Furthermore, you must provide proof of good character, show your knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of New Zealand citizenship, and speak and understand English. When you become a New Zealand citizen, you will have the same privileges as a person who was born here. Hello! New Zealand passports no longer contained the phrase "British subject and New Zealand citizen", but instead only stated "New Zealand citizen". Those naturalising in colonies were said to have gone through local naturalisation and were given subject status valid only within the relevant territory;[6] a subject who locally naturalised in New Zealand was a British subject there, but not in England or New South Wales. New Zealand citizenship by investment is one of the overlooked options to become a citizen. This guide will walk you through the most important aspects of applying for New Zealand citizenship, and what the applications of that citizenship are. New Zealand receives around 30,000 citizenship applications every year. [40] Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in the English language[41] and be physically present in the country for at least 1,350 days during that five-year period and at least 240 days in each of those five years. British citizens do not lose citizenship upon becoming New Zealand citizens. [26] Foreign nationals who wanted to become New Zealand citizens were no longer naturalised, but rather received New Zealand citizenship by grant. [3] Foreign nationals who were not British subjects had limited property rights and could not own land. I am a 20 year old male from the UK. [19] New Zealand subsequently did so in 1923. New Zealand citizens do not need to apply for a visa before coming to Australia. If you were born outside New Zealand, and one of your parents was a New Zealand citizen other than by descent at the time you were born, you may be able to claim New Zealand citizenship by descent. If you are born here on or after 1 January 2006 you are a citizen only if at least one parent is, at the time of the birth, a NZ citizen or permanent resident, or a permanent resident of the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau (unless you would otherwise be stateless). This law has been controversial. [69] If given indefinite leave to remain (ILR), they are eligible to stand for election to the House of Commons[70] and local government. Living in New Zealand . The first of these to pass was the Chinese Immigrants Act 1881,[12] which limited the number of Chinese migrants who could land in New Zealand to one per ten tons of cargo and imposed a £10 head tax on every Chinese person who entered the colony. [36] Adopted children are treated as if they were naturally born to the adopting parents at the time of adoption[37] and are subject to the same regulations regarding descent. Living in Australia as a British Subject, he was granted New Zealand citizenship when it was created, thus retrospectively making him a NZ citizen from birth. a marriage certificate or a marriage dissolution order if this is applicable, the passport or documents with which you entered New Zealand, are entitled to be in New Zealand indefinitely under the, have been in New Zealand, with an entitlement to be here indefinitely, for at least 1,350 days during the five years before your application, and for at least 240 days in each of those five years, have knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of New Zealand citizenship, have sufficient knowledge of the English language, and, intend to continue to be ordinarily resident in New Zealand if you are granted citizenship (there are some exceptions to this). There are four main ways in which you can become a New Zealand citizen: Citizenship by birth in New Zealand. [15] When the £1 naturalisation fee was reduced in 1882 and later abolished in 1892, Chinese were specifically required to continue paying this fee to naturalise. Western Samoans did not automatically become British subjects when New Zealand assumed mandatory authority. 2 Answers. For legal advice, you should consult a lawyer. As well as demonstrating your commitment to your new country, citizenship gives you a range of benefits. And you can run for New Zealand in the Olympics, or be an All Black, or in one of the other national sports teams. HowToLaw is not a law firm and provides legal information for educational purposes only. If you have close family living in New Zealand you might be able to apply for a … However, when travelling outside of the Empire, British subjects who were locally naturalised in a colony were still entitled to imperial protection. [8] British subjects who had already been naturalised in another part of the Empire could apply to be naturalised again in New Zealand without residence requirements. [7], Naturalisation continued to be processed through annual personalised legislation until 1866, when the process was streamlined. 2 decades ago. [52] They are entitled to hold New Zealand passports,[53] may purchase real estate without restrictions,[54] eligible for enlistment in the New Zealand Defence Force,[55] and able to vote in all national and local elections. [62], In 2017, dual citizenship with New Zealand proved problematic for multiple Australian politicians, who are ineligible to run for parliament with allegiance to a foreign power under s44(i) of the Australian Constitution. Method 2 of 3: ... You may qualify for residence after you've been in a relationship with a New Zealand citizen for at least 12 months and you're living together at the time you apply. However, in practice, they continued to be subject to discrimination. [26] In addition, whilst all other applicants for New Zealand citizenship did not have to renounce their former nationality, Chinese people were required to renounce their Chinese citizenship and to demonstrate that they were 'closer to the New Zealand way of life than to the Chinese'. On 28 July 1982, following a stiff tightening of Pacific Island immigration by the Muldoon government, the Privy Council ruled that because of the 1923 and 1928 British Nationality and Status of Aliens Acts, all Samoans born between 1924 and 1948 – and their children – were British subjects and hence, on 1 January 1949, had become New Zealand citizens.[28]. This article is focused on New Zealand law and explains issues from a Common law perspective. Vaccinations: The United States Government does not plan to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to private U.S. citizens overseas. [2], Until the mid-19th century, it was unclear whether naturalisation regulations in the United Kingdom were applicable elsewhere in the Empire. With that being said, regardless of whether you’re moving to New Zealand for a new job, to start company, or just to try out a new way of life, it’s important to understand how you can stay legally, and what it means to become a citizen. It also says "To be eligible for a grant of New Zealand citizenship you must have New Zealand permanent residence (or be an Australian citizen or permanent resident). You will then receive a certificate of registration. let007live4ever. Street View: Why did you become a New Zealand citizen? New Zealand citizenship wasn’t created until 1948. [18], The Imperial Parliament formalised British subject status as a common nationality across the Empire with the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act 1914. New Zealand citizen by … [1] Accordingly, British nationality law applied to the colony. 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