ABC News
Thousands of refugees to be granted permanent visas as Labor moves to fulfil election promise
By political reporter Nour Haydar 12th February, 2023
Thousands of refugees across Australia who have lived “in limbo” for years will be eligible to stay in the country permanently as Labor moves to enact its pre-election commitment.
Key points:
- Around 19,000 refugees will be eligible to apply to stay permanently in Australia
- Labor had promised to abolish temporary protection visas ahead of the election
- Immigration Minister Andrew Giles says it makes “no sense” to keep refugees “in limbo”
From Monday, around 19,000 refugees who arrived in Australia before Operation Sovereign Borders started in 2013 will be able to apply to transition to a permanent Resolution of Status (RoS) visa.
The move affects people who hold Temporary Protection Visas (TPV) and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas (SHEV) which Labor promised to abolish at the last election and have been described as cruel by human rights groups.
Those granted a new visa will have the same rights and benefits as all other permanent residents, and will be immediately eligible for social security payments, access to the NDIS and higher education assistance.
They will also be permitted to apply to become citizens once they meet the necessary citizenship requirements and will be able to sponsor family members to come to Australia.