About Refugee and Humanitarian Visas (subclasses 200-204)
The Australian government provides humanitarian resettlement under the Refugee and Special Humanitarian Program and there are two categories of visas under the offshore resettlement programme:
- The Refugee Program is for persons who are outside their home country and have a well founded fear of persecution should they return to their home country (usually referred by UNHCR)
- The Special Humanitarian Program is for persons with family or other links to Australia who have been subject to substantial discrimination, amounting to gross violation of human rights, in their home country.
And you can get information about subclasses with the following details:
- Refugee (subclass 200) for people who the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has referred to Australia for resettlement.
- In-country Special Humanitarian (subclass 201) for people who are still living in their country and have been unable to leave.
- Global Special Humanitarian visa(subclass 202) for people who face substantial discrimination or human rights abuses, and have a proposer, and stay in Australia permanently with your immediate family.
- Emergency Rescue (subclass 203) for people who the UNHCR has referred to Australia as they are in immediate danger.
- Woman at Risk (subclass 204) for women who do not have the protection of a partner or a relative and are in danger of victimisation.
Who is eligible for a refugee category visa?
A person may be eligible for a refugee category visa if they:
- Are outside Australia; and
- Are subject to persecution in their home country.
Who is eligible for a Special Humanitarian Program category visa?
A person may be eligible for a Special Humanitarian Program category visa if they:
- they are outside Australia
- an immediate family member proposes them for a visa (see Proposing an immediate family member)
- they have been identified as a refugee or a person subject to persecution or substantial discrimination amounting to gross violation of human rights in their home country and deemed to be in humanitarian need.
Applicants must also satisfy the decision maker that there are compelling reasons for giving special consideration to the grant of a visa. This criterion is common to all permanent visa subclasses under the offshore Humanitarian Program. It involves an assessment of various factors including:
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- the degree of persecution or discrimination to which the applicant is subject in their home country
- the extent of the applicant’s connection with Australia
- whether or not there is any suitable country available, other than Australia, that can provide for the applicant’s settlement and protection from discrimination
- the capacity of the Australian community to provide for the permanent settlement of persons such as the applicant in Australia.
Most humanitarian visas are granted to applicants who are outside their home country. If a person is living in their home country, it is unlikely that they will meet the criteria to be granted a refugee or humanitarian visa.
There are no application fees for humanitarian applications.
What documents do I need to provide?
- Fully completed and signed form 842 in English
- Fully completed and signed form 80 in English (for applicants 18 and above)
- If you have a proposer in Australia, your proposer must fully complete and sign form 681 in English (please include a certified copy of your proposer’s Australian citizenship or permanent residence status)
- True copies with authorised English translation of the following documents for each person included in the application (or reasons why these cannot be provided):
- Passport and six recent passport photos for each person included in the application
- Identity card and family book
- Birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates as relevant
- If applicable, evidence of registration with any international organisation dealing with refugees (such as the UNHCR)
- Any additional documents which you consider are relevant to your claims
To ensure that we consider your circumstances properly, you should provide details of your experiences, including details of how events affected you personally, before your departure from your home country.
The number of applications we receive for resettlement each year is far greater than available visas.
The process of who is a priority for us ?
We give priority to the most vulnerable applicants. This includes those that are:
- assessed as refugees by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and
- referred to Australia for resettlement, or
- proposed by an immediate family member (for example, spouses and minor aged children) who hold a Refugee category visa (subclasses 200, 201, 203 or 204)
Because of the limited number of resettlement places available each year and the high demand for them, we accept applicants in the most compelling circumstances only.
CHK Canadian Humanitarian Visa For Vulnerable Afghan Nationals – Here
How to apply Refugee and Humanitarian Visas (subclasses 200-204) ?
You can complete the Australian refugee and humanitarian visa application form in two steps:
- You must fill out form 842 and if someone sponsor you must fill out form 681, and if you have children under the age of 16, you complete the Form 80 – if you are 16 years of age or older.
Your proposer will need to complete a Form 681 Refugee and Special Humanitarian Proposal (282KB PDF) for you to submit along with your own Form 842 Application for an Offshore Humanitarian visa (282KB PDF).
2. You can send the above forms by Post or Application Online to the Australian government.
CHK – For more information visit the Official Website of Australian Government – Here