Who can apply
The special residence requirement
Choose your case and enter your days in Australia to see whether they add up, then check the conditions for travel-heavy work.
Independent, non-government site: tests, applications and appointments are handled only on the Home Affairs website.
Special residence: do my days add up?
Days in Australia
Enough
| Needed in the period | 480 days over 4 years |
| Needed in the last year | 120 days |
| Permanent residence | 1 year |
The special residence requirement replaces the general residence rule for two groups of permanent residents. The first is people seeking to engage in an activity of benefit to Australia that requires citizenship: athletes in an Australian team supported by the Olympic or Paralympic committees, Commonwealth Games Australia, Tennis Australia (Davis Cup or Billie Jean King Cup) or Cricket Australia, and people offered a Commonwealth job that needs a Negative Vetting 2 or higher security clearance. They need 2 years of ordinary residence on a permanent visa, with at least 180 days in Australia in that time and 90 in the last year, and must show there is not enough time to meet the general rule. The second group works in listed jobs that require regular travel: ship and aircraft crew, resources installation staff, ASX 200 chief executives and executive managers, PhD researchers, scientists, renowned medical specialists, Distinguished Talent holders and senior ministers of religion. They need 4 years on a visa including 1 as a permanent resident, and 480 days in Australia, 120 in the last year.
Travel-heavy work: do I fit the special residence rule?
Conditions met
4 of 4
| 2 years of listed work in 4 | met |
| 1 year as a permanent resident | met |
| 480 days in Australia | met |
| 120 days in the last year | met |
You also need 4 years on a visa and the work at the time you apply.
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
Two very different routes
Both routes sit in the Australian Citizenship Act 2007and on the Home Affairs criteria page. One shortens the wait for people whom Australia needs as citizens quickly. The other lowers the number of days in Australia for people whose job keeps them abroad, but keeps the full four years.
| Point | Activity of benefit to Australia | Work with regular travel |
|---|---|---|
| Who | national team athletes; NV2 or higher Commonwealth roles | crew, resources installations, executives, researchers, specialists, talent visa holders, senior religious leaders |
| Time on a visa | 2 years, all on a permanent visa | 4 years, the last 1 on a permanent visa |
| Days in Australia | 180 in the 2 years | 480 in the 4 years |
| Days in the last year | 90 | 120 |
| General rule for comparison | 4 years, 365 days away at most | 90 days away at most in the last year |
Activities of benefit to Australia
Two conditions come before any day count: you must need to be a citizen to take part in the activity, and you must not have enough time to meet the general rule. For an athlete, the evidence is a letter from the head of the organisation saying you have a reasonable prospect of selection, plus a letter listing the qualifying events, their dates, which ones require citizenship and the last date you can become a citizen and still be selected. For a security-cleared role, the agency head confirms a reasonable prospect of employment, that the job needs Negative Vetting 2 or higher, why it benefits Australia, why citizenship is needed and why the general rule cannot be met in time.
Work that requires regular travel
The listed kinds of work are:
- crew of a ship or aircraft, on duty;
- work on a resources installation or sea installation;
- chief executive officer or executive manager of an S&P/ASX All Australian 200 company (an executive manager reports directly to the most senior person);
- research and development of benefit to Australia by a PhD scientist or academic employed by an Australian university;
- scientists employed by CSIRO or by a member institute of AAMRI;
- internationally renowned medical specialists who are fellows of a listed college;
- work in the field of a Distinguished Talent or Global Talent visa processed under the Distinguished Talent pathway (academia and research, the arts, a profession or a sport);
- senior leadership as a minister of religion.
The second tool on this page checks the 2 years of listed work and the day counts together.
Being overseas when Home Affairs decides
General eligibility applicants must be in Australia at the time of decision. People who met one of the special residence requirements are an exception, which is useful for crew and executives on rotation. A ceremony is still needed to make the pledge, so keep the invitation, sent about 4 weeks ahead, in mind when you plan postings.
If you do not fit
Many frequent travellers are not on the list, for example consultants or engineers on overseas projects. They use the general residence requirement. If the time abroad was spent with an Australian citizen partner, the partner discretion may help instead.
Whatever the route, the documents Home Affairs lists must be attached when you apply, because a special residence claim is assessed with the application itself. Keep an accurate record of your days in and out of Australia, since the counts are strict minimums.