What is an Emergency Rescue visa – Australia Visa?
People who are being persecuted in their home country and who are currently in immediate danger of losing their lives or their freedom may be eligible for urgent and expedited processing under the Emergency Rescue subclass 203 visa. This visa can be obtained without the applicant having to leave their country of residence.
Features
- You can stay in Australia indefinitely.
- You can work and study in Australia
- and enroll in Medicare, Australia’s program covering medical costs and care.
You can apply for Australian citizenship - You must obtain a travel document if you intend to travel outside of Australia. You will require a Resident Return Visa to enter Australia again after five years.
Eligibility
- you are living outside of Australia
- In your native country, you face persecution.
- You have a pressing need for resettlement, hence the UNHCR has recommended that you be relocated to Australia.
- Certain health requirements must be met.
- It would be best if you had specific character qualities.
- Before this Emergency Rescue visa can be issued, you must either have no unpaid debts to the Australian government or have made arrangements to pay any outstanding debts.
- As part of the application, you could be required to submit biometrics, a type of identification based on biological characteristics.
How to apply?
- To support the assertions you make in the application, you must present supporting documentation.
- You can fill out Form 842 Application for an Offshore Humanitarian Visa(586 kB PDF).
- In the event that you have a proposer, they must submit the application utilizing and must fill out Form 681 Refugee and special humanitarian proposal(241 kB PDF)
- The Department of Immigration and Border Protection will notify you and your proposer (if appropriate) that they have received your application after you submit it for an Emergency Rescue visa (subclass 203).
Documents Required
- You must sign an Australian Values Statement if you are older than 18 years old to certify that you will uphold Australian culture and legislation.
- A complete copy of your UNHCR Relocation Registration Form if the UNHCR has referred you for resettlement
- certified copies of any visas or residency permits that any applicant is in possession of.