Immigration officials in Australia have urged New Zealand-born actor Russell Crowe to reapply for citizenship because they have no record of his previously rejected applications.
Crowe recently spoke out about his visa problems, revealing he had been turned down for citizenship twice, in 2006 and 2013, even though he has lived in Australia since he was four years old.
The Gladiator star put the failure down to his hectic Hollywood schedule which means he is often out of the country for months at a time working on films abroad.
However, officials at Australia's Department of Immigration have now insisted they have no record of his applications being rejected, so they have urged Crowe to submit new forms and promised to help guide him through the process.
A spokesman for the government organisation tells Fairfax Media, "According to Departmental records, Mr Crowe has not submitted an application for a permanent visa or for Australian citizenship. Should Mr Crowe apply for and be granted a permanent visa, there are a variety of options that he may use to meet the eligibility requirements, including the residence requirements."
Crowe previously said of his problems, "No matter how long you'd been in the country, if you weren't in Australia for the majority of 2000 to 2002 - when I was particularly busy filming overseas - you can't become a citizen. I've been voted one of Australia's 50 national treasures. I've even had my face on an Australian stamp, the only non-Australian to do so, apart from the Queen, of course. It's so, so unreasonable."
WENN.com
source: newshub archive
