Fast forward eight years and the pair are married with two children, and now among the newest Australians after taking part in the national citizenship ceremony in Canberra on Wednesday.

Mr Chitsungo, originally from Zimbabwe, and Ms Sy, originally from the Philippines, arrived as international students in 2014.

"We met through my (husband's) sister and he came to visit her that day and that's how we met, and then we found out that we moved to Australia less than 24 hours apart from our own countries," Ms Sy said.

The couple along with their eldest child Tanatswa, 3, are among the 19 people conferred as citizens during the ceremony on Australia Day.

More than 16,000 people from over 150 nations were expected to become citizens on Australia Day at 400 ceremonies across the country.

For Mr Chitsungo, becoming an Australian citizen was a long process but worth it.

"We now have a sense of belonging, we now know that we belong here, and that is what is most important to us," he told AAP.

"We came here as international students and then we decided to be permanent residents, and now there's lots of privileges to be a citizen."

Among those who became the country's newest citizens at the Canberra ceremony were people from Qatar, the US, Japan, Finland, Ghana, Colombia and India.

While the pandemic has seen less people attending ceremonies in person, Ms Sy said it was a privilege to be conferred on Australia Day.

"We're going to celebrate the rest of the day with family," she said.

"We have our children here and a multicultural community, that's one of the most important things."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country's newest citizens would be inheriting Australia's history and future.

"You don''t come to our national story empty-handed, either. Like so many before you, you add your threads to Australia's rich tapestry," he said at the ceremony.

"You now write your own chapters in Australia's story."

Australian Associated Press