In 75 years, 6 million people from 200 countries became Australian citizens

• Since 1949, Australia has welcomed nearly 6 million people from 200 countries as Australian citizens


• Exactly 75 years ago, seven people from seven nations became the first Australian citizens by conferral

Since 1949 when the first Australian citizenship ceremony was held at Albert Hall in Canberra, Australia has welcomed nearly 6 million people from 200 countries as Australian citizens. Exactly 75 years ago, seven people from seven nations became the first Australian citizens by conferral. These seven new citizens represented each state of Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. They hailed from some of Australia’s largest migrant source countries at the time - Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, Norway, Spain and Yugoslavia.

Between July 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023, a 13% increase in citizenship by conferral applications was registered compared to the same period in 2022.

In December 2023, a 14% improvement in average processing time for citizenship application decisions compared to December 2022. Of the 42,447 applications submitted between July 1 2023 and December 31, 2023, 15,937 applications have been approved under the new direct pathway to Australian citizenship for New Zealand citizens.

The 2022-2023 Refugee and Humanitarian program was delivered in full with 17,875 visas granted. The 2023-2024 program has been increased to 20,000 places. 12,937 Subclass 851 Resolution of Status (RoS) visas granted as on December 31, 2023, providing a permanent visa pathway for Temporary Protection Visas (TPV) and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas (SHEV) visa holders.

At the end of 2023, the Australian Government took significant steps in reforming the country’s migration system as outlined in the Migration Strategy released on December 11, 2023. To achieve the objectives set out in the Migration Strategy, the Government is delivering on 8 key actions, supported by 25 new policy initiatives in addition to existing commitments made by the Government.