Nearly 14,000 residents, many of whom British migrants, officially became Australian citizens last month, during ceremonies around the country that took place on Australia Day (January 26).

While Australia’s national day is the most popular date of the year for citizenship ceremonies, it is increasingly popular for existing citizens to celebrate the day by taking part in so-called affirmation ceremonies. Introduced in 1999 as an opportunity for Australians to express their pride and loyalty to the nation, affirmation ceremonies involve a recitation of an affirmation based on the Australian citizenship pledge.
Australia’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) said affirmation ceremonies were growing in popularity, with more than 125 local councils across the nation including them as part of their Australia Day celebrations.

“We have seen a growing trend of councils, aged care facilities, community organisations and schools conducting affirmation ceremonies on special occasions such as Australia Day,” confirmed a spokesman. “Through citizenship and affirmation ceremonies, we reflect on the freedoms, responsibilities and privileges that go hand-in-hand with being an Australian. Affirmation ceremonies increase community awareness of Australian citizenship, promote community participation and help build pride in Australians about their citizenship.”

Anyone planning to emigrate to Australia is advised to seek advice from an experienced registered migration agent, such as Sammy Naghi at Emigrate-to-australia.co.uk.

For details of property for sale in Australia, visit the Australia listings on Rightmove Overseas. One way to save money when emigrating to Australia, or buying property there, is to use a currency specialist when transferring your pounds into dollars. For more information on this, contact Smart Currency Exchange.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Australia, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Australia Property Buying Guide’