Larry Williams Drive

In April last year, it was announced New Zealanders living in Australia were suddenly afforded similar rights to Australians who live in New Zealand when it comes to having a pathway to citizenship. The change meant that from 1 July 2023, New Zealanders who have lived in Australia for four years on temporary or special category visas and met the standard Australian citizenship criteria could apply for citizenship. So Kiwis who've been living in Australia since 2001 could apply directly for citizenship without gaining permanent residency first. Kiwi children born in Australia will become citizens at birth rather than waiting til they turn 10. It was a game changer for Kiwis already living in Australia. But the question of whether it would contribute to a brain drain, like the one we saw in 2011 and 2012 was yet to be seen. Today Stats NZ released their provisional data for annual migration figures for the year ending in August. Migrant arrivals were down 17 percent to 188,100. But the surprising figure in