Perth Wildcats superstar Bryce Cotton’s citizenship ban has been extended by three months due to excess travel

Perth Wildcats star Bryce Cotton’s four-year ban from applying for Australian citizenship has been extended by more than three months which means instead of becoming eligible on Sunday, he must wait until May 28 to begin his process to become naturalised. Cotton and the Wildcats have spent four years attempting to overturn a ban which was imposed on February 23 2021 after he changed his normal visa to a Distinguished Talent Visa. The five-time NBL MVP spent about 20 minutes in Melbourne without a valid visa while his documents were being changed, and that period of time meant he was banned from applying for citizenship for four years. But in a major blow, Cotton spent more than 90 days outside of Australia in the last 12 months, exceeding the allowable threshold to lodge a citizenship application. Cotton travelled to the US to see family and train in the off-season, flew to Japan with the Wildcats for three pre-season games and then played two regular season matches in New Zealand. He must now remain in Australia until May 28 to get his days overseas down to the level where he can submit his application. Wildcats General Manager of Basketball Operations Danny Mills said the club is doing everything possible to get Cotton’s application approved. “There’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes in regards to supporting Bryce,” Mills told The West Australian’s The Dribble Podcast. “At the moment we can’t really comment further. It is a delicate matter with a lot of parties involved. Until we have the right information and where it is at, then that’s kind of our stance on it. Obviously there is a time and a place where it will happen.” Cotton took the government to court without success during 2023, arguing that his ban was due to an administrative error. The Wildcats also sought help from key basketball stakeholders. Basketball Australia wrote multiple letters asking for Cotton to receive Ministerial Discretion to be naturalised, only to withdraw that support after learning they had to guarantee him Olympic selection. The Wildcats can still attempt to use Section 22B of the Australian Citizenship Act to argue Cotton’s overseas travel was used to benefit his work as a professional athlete. But an upcoming Federal Election, which must be held before May 17, will pose more challenges and could result in a change to the ministerial portfolio. The Wildcats have already dealt with four Citizenship Ministers during Cotton’s saga. “There is so much at play and there are so many different avenues that we have already explored,” Mills said. “We are working a lot of different parties to ensure what happens next is the right avenue and Bryce deservedly can get his citizenship when he is eligible.”