Application, fees, times
Citizenship application refused: reasons, review and a second attempt
Enter how many days have passed since the letter, then read why applications fail and what each kind of refusal leaves open.
Independent, non-government site: tests, applications and appointments are handled only on the Home Affairs website.
Refused: how long to ask for a review?
Review window
set out in your decision letter
| Days already passed | 7 |
| Review options | listed in the decision letter |
| Alternative | a new application once you qualify |
The letter states the deadline and whether the decision can be reviewed; act well before it.
When Home Affairs refuses an Australian citizenship application, it writes to you with the reasons for the decision, where to lodge a request for review and the time limit for doing so, and whether the decision can be reviewed at all. The deadline in your letter is the one that counts, so read it the day it arrives. Some refusals are mandatory: the department must not approve an application if it is not satisfied of your identity, if criminal proceedings are pending, if less than 2 years have passed since release from a prison sentence of 12 months or more (10 for a repeat offender), if you are assessed as a security risk, or if you ceased to be a citizen in the past 12 months. Others follow from a missed condition, such as applying before the residence date, failing the test at 3 appointments, or being outside Australia at decision time. A new application is possible once the cause is fixed, with a new fee of $595.
Refused: what usually comes next
Usual next step
wait until your date, then apply again
| What a new application needs | residence calculator date |
| Review | the letter says if it is open and by when |
| New fee if you reapply | $595 |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
What the decision letter contains
Home Affairs gives every decision in writing. For a refusal, its pages say the letter will tell you the reasons for the decision, where to lodge a request for a review and the time limits for requesting one. The conferral pages do not name a review body in general terms, so the letter itself is where you learn which body hears a review of your decision, and whether review is available at all. Treat the deadline in your own letter as the only reliable one, and note the date it arrived. The counter at the top of this page tracks how many days have gone by.
Refusals Home Affairs cannot avoid
The permanent resident page lists situations where the department must not approve an application, whatever else is in the file:
| Bar | When it lifts |
|---|---|
| Identity not established | when documents prove identity from birth |
| Proceedings for an offence pending, including appeals | when the proceedings end |
| Released less than 2 years ago from a sentence of 12 months or more | 2 years after release, 10 for a repeat offender |
| Parole, good behaviour or bail conditions in force | when the conditions end |
| In prison or a psychiatric institution by court order | on release |
| Assessed as a risk to national security | not stated |
| Ceased to be a citizen in the past 12 months | 12 months after cessation |
| Outside Australia at decision time (most conferral cases) | on return |
The last row has exceptions: applicants under a special residence requirement, or helped by the spouse or interdependent partner discretion, can be approved while abroad. The travel page covers the timing of trips.
Refusals for a missed condition
Most refusals are less dramatic. The residence requirement is checked on the day the application arrives, so a file lodged before the date fails even if you qualify a week later; the residence calculator prevents this. The test is the second common cause: Home Affairs may refuse after 3 appointments without a pass, and the page on failing the test explains how to prepare between attempts. Good character, assessed for applicants aged 18 or over, can also lead to refusal through convictions, court obligations, associations, domestic violence incidents or dishonesty in visa and citizenship dealings, as the character page details. Finally, the department must be satisfied you will live in Australia or keep a close and continuing link with it.
Review or a fresh start
A review asks whether the decision was right on the facts and law at the time. A new application starts again on the facts at its own lodging date. Which is better depends on the reason. If you applied a few weeks early, a new application after your residence date is usually simpler. If you think the department misread your evidence, review is the route, within the time limit. If a bar applies, such as a pending charge, neither will succeed until it lifts. The panel under the summary sets out the usual next step for each common reason.
Before you apply again
Read the reasons line by line and list each point the department was not satisfied about. Collect the missing evidence: identity documents from birth, overseas police certificates, proof of the link with Australia, or the residence figures. Check that the new application is complete, because Home Affairs names incomplete files and slow replies as the main causes of delay. A new conferral application pays the fee in force on the day, $595 on form 1298i of July 2026. The requirements page works through every condition again.