The new citizens were from three areas, including the Philippines, India and Great Britain, with the youngest citizen just 17-years-old.

Rosemarie Zaragoza, from the Philippines, gained her citizenship after living in Australia for five years.

"We arrived almost exactly five years ago, on April 26, 2014, and my husband was already working abroad and so I came over so that we could be together and start a family," Mrs Zaragoza said.

"I'm working at a Chinese restaurant at Marketplace, but I'm a hairdresser by profession.

"Wagga is a nice place and before here we were living in Dubbo, but it was a smaller place for us and it was hard to get a job."

Mrs Zaragoza said Wagga's central location to Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne made it the ideal place to live.

"We're in the centre and it's so accessible, so that's why Wagga is good for us," she said.

"We're very accommodating people and that's what we hope to bring from our culture and we have everything here now."

It was a bittersweet moment for her husband Robert, who said his wife was "blessed" as she gained her citizenship before he did.

"She was called first, but I was the one who lodged everything while she just sat around; she's the blessed one, while my daughters and I are still waiting," he said.

"We will grow old here in Wagga as we don't intend to go anywhere."

Mr Zaragoza said he loves "everything" about Wagga, with the stress-free lifestyle one of the major reasons for choosing to live here.

"I love the people, the environment, the weather - I love winter - and it's so relaxing here, there's no stress, no traffic," he said.

"We have a Filipino community here, I've got my family here and my mum, siblings and friends are living all over the world so there's nothing really to come home to or miss in the Philippines.

"I'll probably just miss the food."

The youngest citizen was 17-year-old Josh Chan, who is studying year 11 at Kildare Catholic College.

"It feels a lot better and now I'll get a lot of benefits," he said.

"I'm from the Philippines and I came in August 2015 and we got our permanent residency in 2017.

"Finally my dad got his citizenship and I'm so happy."

Another citizen Rakesh Kumar Gupta, from India, said Australian culture is completely different but there are so many good things about it.

"What I say to my kids is that we can offer Australian culture our good values from India," he said.

Mr Gupta said he used to work in India for the animal industry and he was invited by an Australian company to work in Wagga as a general manager for a factory.

"I migrated to Australia in January 2013 and then I took permanent residency in 2015, because after living in Australia for one-and-a-half years, I realised this was a good country for my kids to study and grow up here.

"My wife received her citizenship in September and my children have applied for citizenship, so hopefully in about three months they will get that opportunity.

"Wagga is a very small town compared to India, but it's very nice because of the multicultural environment here.

"It's the ideal place for anybody to live and you can see all the communities here living together and that's a great thing about Wagga," he said.

The citizenship ceremony was held at the Civic Centre and the new citizens were accompanied by their families and friends as well as the Wagga mayor and mayoress, the Deputy Prime Minister, Miss Wagga and princess, Aunty Cheryl and Murrumbidgee Magic.

Deputy PM Michael McCormack said the new citizens are coming to the "best city, in the best country".

"I'm a little bit biased as I was born here and I love Wagga," Mr McCormack said.

"I'm always proud to say that I'm from Wagga; it's a great city and you becoming a citizen will only make our city stronger.

"Please don't forget your culture, your religion, your foods; all the things you bring to come to our fine city."