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The Refugee Council of Australia recommends the Bill not be passed, citing that an eight-year permanent-residency requirement and exclusions for boat-arriving refugees would lengthen delays, restrict family reunification, and hinder settlement. It also criticizes English language and citizenship test accessibility limits, changes to residence and ten-year rules, expanded ministerial discretion, reduced merits/judicial review, and weaker rule-of-law safeguards, alongside case studies of forced displacement impacts.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/australian-citizenship-legislation-amendment-strengthening-the-requirements-for-australian-citizenship-and-other-measures-bill-2018-submission/294730/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/australian-citizenship-legislation-amendment-strengthening-the-requirements-for-australian-citizenship-and-other-measures-bill-2018-submission/294730.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Jiven","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-21","2026-09-18",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",13,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"Why does the Refugee Council of Australia recommend that the 2018 Bill not be passed?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"The submission argues the Bill would disproportionately affect refugees and fundamentally change citizenship policy from inclusion to exclusion, while weakening rule-of-law protections through reduced review access and expanded ministerial discretion.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How would the proposed residence requirement affect refugees arriving by boat?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"The submission states that the proposed changes would not count waiting time for refugee status determination toward the residence requirement, potentially delaying citizenship and family reunification for years, with some people waiting up to 18 years.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"Which Bill provisions are highlighted as limiting accessibility or protections?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"The submission highlights proposed English language requirements and measures that limit access to the citizenship test, the need for demonstrated integration, changes to residence and the ten-year rule, and provisions that expand ministerial power while limiting merits and judicial review.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},294730,1789701433,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":56,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":130,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},1099513958607,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/100002390cf8733938c?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1778829742770036399","SENATE LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE  \nSUBMISSION ON THE AUSTRALIAN CITIZENSHIP LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (STRENGTHENING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR AUSTRALIAN CITIZENSHIP AND OTHER MEASURES) BILL 2018  \nAPRIL 2018  \nThe Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) is the national umbrella body for refugees, people seeking asylum and the organisations and individuals who work with them, representing over 190 organisations and 1,000 individual members. RCOA promotes the adoption of humane, lawful and constructive policies by governments and communities in Australia and internationally towards refugees, people seeking asylum and humanitarian entrants. RCOA consults regularly with its members, community leaders and people from refugee backgrounds and this submission is informed by their views.  \nRCOA welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback about the Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Requirements for Australian Citizenship and Other Measures) Bill 2018 (the Bill) . We strongly recommend that this Bill should not be passed.  \nThis Bill is very similar to the Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment Bill 2017 (the 2017 Bill) , on which RCOA made a submission.1 Accordingly, we reiterate the profound concerns that we expressed in relation to the 2017 Bill , and note the significance of the proposal to further extend the residence requirement for citizenship in the current Bill.  \nThe requirement that a person must be a permanent resident for a period of eight years before becoming a citizen would have a significant impact on refugees who arrive in Australia by boat. There are very significant delays in the refugee status determination process, resulting in a prolonged waiting period before people are granted refugee status. Under the proposed changes, this time would not count towards meeting the residence requirement. As discussed below, this change would further delay citizenship and family reunification opportunities for those people who are most vulnerable. Refugees who arrived by boat may be waiting up to 18 years before becoming Australian citizens. Further, requiring resettled refugees to wait eight years for citizenship will impede successful settlement and further exclude the most vulnerable.  \nFor refugee and humanitarian entrants, Australian citizenship has a special significance. Gaining citizenship marks both their integration into their new country and the end of their displacement. For many, it will mark the first time they have experienced the protection of a State, rather than its persecution. Citizenship provides them with the safety they need to settle and to heal, and gives  \n1 Refugee Council of Australia, Submission on the Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Requirements for Australian Citizenship and Other Measures) Bill 2017 (Submission, Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee)  \n\u003C[https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/201707_Australian-Citizenship-Bill.pdf/](https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/201707_Australian-Citizenship-Bill.pdf/)> .  \nthem the security to build and imagine their new lives. For this reason, most refugees and humanitarian entrants are eager to apply for citizenship as soon as they can , and prize it highly.  \nThe current Bill would disproportionately affect refugees, and it would fundamentally alter the nature of Australian citizenship. The proposals in the Bill would effectively convert citizenship policy from being a tool of inclusion to a tool of exclusion. Other provisions in the Bill, by limiting merits review and greatly expanding ministerial discretion, would weaken the security and protection that is the hallmark of citizenship.  \nThe inclusive nature of Australian citizenship is a crucial element in the success of our multicultural society. Gaining “citizenship should be an enabling, positive and welcoming process for applicantsand one which is seen to contribute to ","cbCaie36kRQRrvA2","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaie36kRQRrvA2","pdf",625931,"English","# Key concerns and recommendations\n## Impact on refugees and humanitarian entrants\n## Citizenship significance and social cohesion\n## Rule of law and review safeguards\n## Planned focus areas and measures criticized\n## Case studies and evidence-based policy","[{\"question\":\"Why does the Refugee Council of Australia recommend that the 2018 Bill not be passed?\",\"answer\":\"The submission argues the Bill would disproportionately affect refugees and fundamentally change citizenship policy from inclusion to exclusion, while weakening rule-of-law protections through reduced review access and expanded ministerial discretion.\"},{\"question\":\"How would the proposed residence requirement affect refugees arriving by boat?\",\"answer\":\"The submission states that the proposed changes would not count waiting time for refugee status determination toward the residence requirement, potentially delaying citizenship and family reunification for years, with some people waiting up to 18 years.\"},{\"question\":\"Which Bill provisions are highlighted as limiting accessibility or protections?\",\"answer\":\"The submission highlights proposed English language requirements and measures that limit access to the citizenship test, the need for demonstrated integration, changes to residence and the ten-year rule, and provisions that expand ministerial power while limiting merits and judicial review.\"}]","Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Requirements for Australian Citizenship and Other Measures) Bill 2018 - Submission | PDF",48]