Britons allowed to join the Australian Defence Force from next year

People from the UK will be allowed to join the Australian Defence Force (ADF) after it decided to allow recruits from other countries.

Australia is struggling to recruit enough people into its armed forces and is hoping that relaxing the entry restrictions will help boost numbers.

New Zealand nationals who permanently reside in Australia will be allowed to join from July while recruits from the UK and other countries such as Canada and the US will be allowed in from next year.

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The ADF said it is facing growing threats in the Indo-Pacific region, and Chinese military expansion in the region is posing an increasing threat to Australian interests.

Australia has already cultivated a closer working relationship with both the UK and US after signing the Aukus pact in 2021.

The alliance was a reaction to the growing threat the Chinese military posed in the region.

It is estimated that the ADF is short by around 4,400 personnel and the focus will be on recruiting nationals from the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand – members of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance with Australia.

Only those with permanent residency in Australia will be permitted to join.

Australian Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh said: "It's about growing the pool of people we are going to recruit from that have already shown a commitment to Australia.

"So, they are already, if you like, on a pathway towards potential citizenship, and the obligation would be that if they join the Defence Force, once they serve for 90 days, they become eligible and would be expected to become Australian citizens."

The move has been welcomed by the senator for Tasmania Jacqui Lambie, who is calling for the ADF to expand recruitment further.

"Hallelujah – well done it is about time," she said. "I just don't think what they are doing here and trying to take them from here is going to be enough.

"They have got to go out there broadly and go the Pacific Islanders, the Papua New Guineans."

The UK Armed Forces currently has around 9,000 non-UK citizens serving.

Those not born in the United Kingdom must have either British citizenship, be a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or a member of the Commonwealth with indefinite leave to remain.