New pathway to citizenship for Kiwis in Oz

Under the deal, which the leaders jointly announced in Sydney today, New Zealanders who were shut out following Australia tightening its immigration rules in 2001 will be eventually be able to apply for permanent residence and then citizenship if they’ve earned $A53,000 ($NZ57,000) or more for five consecutive years since 2001.

New Zealand and Australia’s prime ministers appeared incredibly in sync this afternoon, joking about “pyjama diplomacy” while announcing new citizenship avenues for Kiwis living Down Under.

Green Party global affairs spokesman Kennedy Graham said the news was positive, but that the pathway was not comparable to the benefits that Australians in New Zealand enjoyed.

Following this date, Kiwis had to apply for the SCV, a indefinite temporary visa that allowed them to stay and work in Australia as long as they remained a New Zealand citizen.

“This step today will help tens of thousands of those New Zealanders to one day potentially become Australian citizens”, he said.

“We’ve made it crystal-clear that people who are deported can pursue their appeals from New Zealand, so they are not prejudiced in their appeal by being back in New Zealand”, Mr Turnbull said.

However, there are no signs following Friday’s talks that there will be any movement by Australia on that front, with Turnbull maintaining Australia’s stance that “the good character law applies to every country”, and that it “was not singling out New Zealand”.

Meanwhile, Key has confirmed that New Zealand’s offer to accept asylum seekers from Australia’s offshore detention centres is still “on the table”.

Mr Key’s government reached an agreement in 2013 with Australia to resettle 150 refugees a year from Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

Mr Turnbull has chosen to shun the official prime ministerial residence Kirribilli House in favour of his own private residence.

It comes amid an uproar over what will happen to 267 asylum seekers who are expected to be transferred from Australia to the Pacific atoll of Nauru.

Mr Turnbull said while he appreciated the offer, the government had to turn it down in order to deny marketing opportunities to people smugglers.