The biggest change to the rights of New Zealanders in Australia since 26 February 2001. From 1 July 2023, a direct pathway to Australian Citizenship will be offered for all those kiwis living in Australia who meet the eligibility criteria,that is, those kiwis who have lived in Australia for at least 4 years, have had 12 months permanent residency, who hold a special category visa (SCV) and who arrived in Australia after 26 February 2001. Currently New Zealanders must first apply for a permanent residency visa before they can apply for Australian Citizenship. This step will be eliminated saving thousands of dollars for kiwis who are eligible to apply. Why should this matter? Well, currently New Zealanders living here and contribting to our economy do not have the same rights as Australian Citizens to medicare and welfare rights. Some jobs in Australia are also only available to Australian Citizens (e.g. air traffic controller), and the right to vote. Also, some New Zealand citizens living here are not eligible to apply for permanent visa and had no pathway at all to Australian citizenship. Be careful though and do not jump the gun and make your application for citizenship prior to 1 July because if you do, your application will be rejected and your fees paid will not be refunded. No reason though to get your paperwork in order and be ready to file your application on 1 July.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzvTqmgYXSY
Despina firmly believes that being in the privileged position of a solicitor that she gives back to the community when she can. This has been transcended into her weekly radio show 'Talking Law' that is broadcast on the Gold Coast each Thursday on 104.1FM Gold Coast/Tweed & 103.5FM Northern Rivers and has been going strong now since 2020. Despina talks about various hot topics at local, state and federal level, and answers the questions that ordinary Australians want to hear. And the best part, it is free. Despina is not paid for her time on air and she enjoys the fact she can give back to the community in this manner. Knowledge is power and her radio show is very much about empowering the ordinary Australian with information that they should be aware of to help them in every day life. Despina has a very big following on air and online with a facebook community page for the radio station and is always happy to talk with listeners off air.
All episodes of Talking Law with Despina are uploaded on the Priala Legal website and onto our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWmG7z-wIbsHY9KhFfrrWwQ in case you missed it live. We are now up to 255 episodes!!!
You can also join the Facebook community page for Radio 97 and join the community where questions are posed, and our on air segments are posted for all to view again after the on air segment. Just search 'Breakfast Radio 97' on Facebook and ask to join. It's free!
Catch us live on Radio 97 every Thursday morning at 8:30am (7.30am during Daylight Saving from October to March) on 104.1FM Gold Coast & 103.5FM Northern Rivers. Part of the Australia wide Super Radio Network across the country.
If you have any question you would like answered please contact us and we will do our best to answer them for you.
DISCLAIMER: The information discussed within the Talking Law videos is general in nature only and is not intended to be comprehensive, nor does it constitute legal or other advice in anyway, and should not be relied upon as such. The information is intended only to provide a summary and general overview on matters of interest and it is not intended to be comprehensive. You should seek legal or other professional advice before acting or relying on any of the content herein.
Posted By Despina Priala
Despina Priala has practised in property and commercial law on the Gold Coast for over 25 years and has extensive experience in this area.
Updated : 25th May 2023 | Words : 238 | Views : 149
 |
 |
 |
