Australian citizenship conferrals have plunged to a 15-year low as the backlog of applications yet to be processed mounts to a record high, causing longer waiting time for migrants wanting to pledge allegiance to Australia.
In 2017-18 the number of people who were conferred with Australian citizenship fell to 80,562 - a level not seen since 2002-03 when just over 79,000 people received citizenship by conferral.
It comes as the Federal Government is already facing criticism for citizenship application backlogs mounting to over 240,000, making applicants to wait 17-19 months, some even longer.
The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed to SBS Punjabi that 244,765 citizenship applications were awaiting processing as of 30th June 2018.
Those waiting to pledge their allegiance to Australia by becoming an Australian citizen say the long waiting time causes them to live in uncertainty.
“Given the circumstances and the recent events, migrants have never felt more vulnerable,” says Atul Vidhata who is waiting for the outcome of his citizenship application and runs social media forums for other applicants.
“Applicants are becoming less driven by the commitment to the country than they are seeking the safety of Australian Citizenship because of what the government might do to them as non-citizens,” he adds.
