On 17 September, which is also Australian Citizenship Day, The Hon Alan Tudge MP, the Acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Australian Government has announced that the Australian citizenship test will be updated to emphasize more on Australian values in addition to core facts and figures.
The Hon Alan Tudge MP said that, “Our Australian values are important. They have helped shape our country and they are the reason why so many people want to become Australian citizens… We are asking those who apply for citizenship to understand our values more deeply before they make the ultimate commitment to our nation”
The updated test will include 5 questions on Australian values amongst the 20 multiple-choice questions. In order to pass the test, the applicant will have to correctly answer all 5 of the questions on Australian values, along with scoring a mark of at least 75 per cent overall in the test. The new test is expected to be in effect from 15 November 2020.
The Minister has also announced that new applicants for most visas, along with the citizenship applicants will be required to affirm the updated Australian Values Statement (AVS) from 30 October 2020 onwards. However, no changes have been announced to the English language requirements or residency requirements for citizenship.
