IIRC, you will need a police clearance certificate in every country you've lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.
If you're applying for Australian permanent residence, may I respectfully suggest posting your query on a migration forum. Either Migration Issues - PomsInOz Forum or British Expat Discussion Forum are good (despite the British emphasis, there are people of all nationalities on both). There are people who are experienced with the process on there who can help, as well as a few migration agents.
Now I only have a general understanding of DIAC policy so please do not treat this as legal advice. As your case appears to be complex, you really ought to engage a migration agent before committing to a potentially irreversible course of action. AFAIK a criminal conviction would not automatically disqualify you from residency. It depends on how serious your criminal record is. Something like drink driving or anything not amounting to 12 months or more in jail might be overlooked by DIAC, but you will need to do more if it's a more serious conviction or if you've offended more than once. I know someone from the UK who got PR despite being convicted of assault ages ago - getting pass the character clearance involved stat decs that he's not offended since and character references from family, friends and co-workers. He was assisted by a very good migration agent.
NB: I have no affiliation with either site, but got lots of helpful tips when I was going through the application process myself.
If you're applying for Australian permanent residence, may I respectfully suggest posting your query on a migration forum. Either Migration Issues - PomsInOz Forum or British Expat Discussion Forum are good (despite the British emphasis, there are people of all nationalities on both). There are people who are experienced with the process on there who can help, as well as a few migration agents.
Now I only have a general understanding of DIAC policy so please do not treat this as legal advice. As your case appears to be complex, you really ought to engage a migration agent before committing to a potentially irreversible course of action. AFAIK a criminal conviction would not automatically disqualify you from residency. It depends on how serious your criminal record is. Something like drink driving or anything not amounting to 12 months or more in jail might be overlooked by DIAC, but you will need to do more if it's a more serious conviction or if you've offended more than once. I know someone from the UK who got PR despite being convicted of assault ages ago - getting pass the character clearance involved stat decs that he's not offended since and character references from family, friends and co-workers. He was assisted by a very good migration agent.
NB: I have no affiliation with either site, but got lots of helpful tips when I was going through the application process myself.
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