Foreign-born athletes and some other professionals will soon have their applications for Australian citizenship fast-tracked under draft laws agreed to by the Senate on Wednesday.
The federal government wants to reduce the residency requirements for applicants who "engage in activities that are of benefit to Australia." Currently, a person has to be in Australia for four years before they can apply for citizenship.
During that time they can only be away from the country for a maximum of 12 months. Under the changes, people such as elite athletes who want to compete in international sporting events will only have to call Australia home for two years before making an application.
They will be required to live in Australia for only six months during that two-year period, making it easier for tennis players and athletes who travel frequently for competition to qualify.
Last month, Russian-born speedskater Tatiana Borodulina became the first athlete to take advantage of the proposed changes when the Australian Olympic Committee said she would be able to compete for Australia at the Winter Olympics at Vancouver in February.
Borodulina moved to Australia in 2006 hoping to represent Australia at the Olympics, but missed the cutoff point for becoming an Australian citizen by 18 days when the former government of prime minister John Howard tightened the rules in 2007 and extended the residency period from two to four years.
Professional workers with frequent overseas travel commitments, such as pilots and offshore oil-rig workers, will also be given special treatment under the changes.
Immigration Minister Chris Evans has said existing rules excluded "a cohort" of permanent residents who were 100 percent committed to Australia.
"Elite athletes, tennis players and (some) professionals ... often don't meet the residency requirements," he told Australia's parliament during debate on the bill.
"They were required to travel extensively outside Australia as part of their employment. We don't believe that the general residency requirement applied to this group is fair and it is an artificial barrier that ought to be fixed."
