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When I lived in New Zealand in the 1990's, I met many Chinese immigrants who lived in NZ for 3 years then after becoming NZ citizens went straight to Australia
by vorg 10y ago
When I lived in New Zealand in the 1990's, I met many Chinese immigrants who lived in NZ for 3 years then after becoming NZ citizens went straight to Australia to become Australian citizens after a further 2 years there. That's where I heard that expression.
- ptaipale 10y agoThat's still quite selective immigration. The cost and visa requirements of travelling to NZ (legally) before immigrating to Australia from there is already a factor that changes the migration pattern completely.
- vorg 10y agoAround 2002, Australia stopped New Zealanders getting automatic Australian citizenship after residency. Also then, New Zealand changed the residency time to become a citizen from 3 years to 5 years. I haven't heard about the extra 2 years mentioned by amatix. Until then, it was easier to get NZ permanent residency than Australian, and many people, especially from China, took that "back door" to Australian citizenship. During the 1990's, I met many who spent the 3 years in NZ unemployed, learning conversational English. After becoming NZ citizens they'd go to Australia and get a job within months.