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Russell Crowe ‘never applied’ for citizenship

New Zealand-born actor Russell Crowe made headlines after kicking up a fuss about his lack of Australian citizenship, but turns out it may be much ado about nothing.

Speaking to the UK’s Radio Times this week, the 50-year-old complained that his two bids for citizenship Down Under had been rejected.

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“They changed the law for New Zealanders,” the Hollywood star complained.

“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.”

However, the Australian Immigration Department has revealed it has no record of Crowe applying for citizenship.

There is no official application from the actor in the system, Fairfax Media reports.

“According to Departmental records, Mr Crowe has not submitted an application for a permanent visa or for Australian citizenship,” the department said in a statement to The Sydney Morning Herald.

“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.”

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