What is a Global Special Humanitarian visa?

With this visa, you can relocate to Australia and reside permanently with your immediate family if you face significant prejudice or human rights violations and have a proposer.

Features

• stay in Australia permanently
• You can work and study in Australia
• enroll in Australia’s public healthcare scheme, Medicare
• propose family members for permanent residence
• travel to and from Australia for 5 years
• if eligible to become an Australian citizen
• attend free English language classes through the Adult Migrant English Program.

Eligibility

• When you apply for this visa, you must be outside of Australia and outside of your country of origin.
• In your native country, prejudice would be a blatant violation of your human rights.
• A person or organization in Australia must recommend you for this visa.
• You and any family members who apply for the visa with you must meet our health requirements.
• You and any family members who apply for the visa with you must meet our character requirements.
• If you are 18 or older, you must sign or accept the Australian Values Statement to ensure that you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
• If you owe money to the Australian Government, you must have paid it back or made a formal arrangement to do so.

Procedure to apply

• Provide all the documents.
• Apply online via our webform. Attach documents, including the required forms Form: 842 – Application for an Offshore Humanitarian visa and Form 681 – Refugee and special humanitarian proposal.
• You can post your completed paper application and supporting documents to us at:
• Special Humanitarian Processing Centre
  Department of Home Affairs
  GPO Box 9984
  SYDNEY NSW 2001
• Submit your visa applications and accompanying documentation all at once. This gives us a clear picture of everyone who is asking for a visa.

Documents Required

• Please provide the pages of your current passport that display your photo, personal information, passport issue, and expiration dates.
• Please submit proof of registration with any international organization dealing with refugees, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
• Provide certified copies of any visas or residence permits you hold.
• Provide certified copies of marriage certificates or relationship registrations for you and everyone else listed on your application, even if they are not coming to Australia with you.
• Paper applications require 2 passport-sized photographs per applicant.
• If you served in the armed forces of any country, please provide military service documents or discharge papers.
• Provide the partner documents.

What is the cost?

• There is no visa application fee for this visa unless you are proposed by an Approved Proposing Organization under the Community Support Program.

What is the processing time?

• The decision-making process could take months or even years. Every year, we get significantly more applications for relocation than there are available permits.