The Citizenship and Travel Documents Bill
New Zealand's internal affairs minister, George Hawkins, is introducing a new bill to make it harder for immigrants to become New Zealand citizens. Currently about 20,000 people receive New Zealand citizenship each year, the standard requirement for which is legal residence in New Zealand for the three years before applying.
In his statement, Mr Hawkins notes that three years is short by international standards, and can include time spent here on temporary permits, such as work or student permits. He concludes that three years is not long enough to assess applicants' suitability for citizenship.
From April 2005 the minimum length of residence in New Zealand before citizenship can be applied for is raised to five years. Time spent in NZ on temporary permits will no longer count as a period of residence for citizenship purposes.
One interesting feature of the new law is that it may reduce the number of people who use New Zealand as a back door into Australia. In the days when it was easier for migrants to get into New Zealand than Australia, it was common for migrants to live in NZ for three years, get citizenship and then exercise their right, as NZ citizens, to become permanent residents of Australia.
Further changes being introduced that may affect migrants are:
* Applicants who have married New Zealand citizens will have to meet the same requirements as all other applicants. (Currently, spouses and ex-spouses of New Zealand citizens who apply for citizenship have to be ordinarily resident in New Zealand for only two years prior to application, and do not have to intend to continue to live here.)
* The ten-year period for which NZ passports have traditionally been issued is now thought to be too long because of sophisticated counterfeiting techniques. To reduce the likelihood of forgery, the Bill reduces the maximum validity of new passports from ten years to five.
* There will be a supplement to the bill to restrict citizenship by birth in New Zealand to the children of New Zealand citizens and residents. Currently, with few exceptions, babies born in New Zealand are New Zealand citizens. Some people have come to New Zealand on temporary permits solely to give birth so that their children will be NZ citizens. Under current law, these children are entitled to access publicly funded services such as health care and education. Restricting citizenship by birth will ensure that citizenship, and its benefits, are limited to people who have a genuine and ongoing link to New Zealand.
* The bill creates new offences of unlawfully issuing a citizenship document and unlawfully altering citizenship records. These offences will carry a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment and/or a $50,000 fine.
* Applicants with serious criminal convictions will not be able receive citizenship. Those with less serious convictions cannot receive citizenship for a period following conviction.
