How can I bring my refugee family here?

You need:

• One passport style photograph of each family member who is included in the application.
• Any identity documents your family has. For example:
  • Passports
  • Birth certificates
  • Identity cards
  • Citizenship documents
  • Marriage certificates
  • Death certificates

Documents that are not in English must be translated.

The documents can be translated overseas or in Australia.

If a family member has no documents, they need to explain why they don’t have any documents. They might have lost them, or had them stolen, or maybe they were never issued any documents in their own country. This is not a problem but you just need to explain why they have no documents. Even if they do not have documents, you can still make the application for the visa.

If your family is registered with the UNHCR, Red Cross, Red Crescent, or International Organisation for Migration (IOM), you should get a copy of that registration as well and include it with the application.

If only one person has a problem, then just that person needs to write a statement. The written statement is the story of the problems your family had in their home country, what they are afraid of in their country, and why they cannot return safely.

It may seem obvious why they would not be safe. But it is important to give details because Home Affairs uses the statement to work out how quickly to decide the application and whether to give your family a visa.

They can write the statement in their own language and then get it translated into English. You can translate it yourself. You don’t need an official translation.

The statements should say:

What problems they had in their country

• When the problems started.
• What happened to them and who caused the harm to them.
• How they were harmed.
• Did they ask for help from the authorities or police in their country? If they didn’t ask for help, why not?

The statements must:

• talk specifically about them, and not the general problems in their country, and
• give detailed descriptions of names, places and times.

What they are afraid would happen if they went back to their own country

This part of the statement is very important, particularly if they have been outside their country for a few years. It is important that Home Affairs understands why they would be at risk of harm if they returned.

They must describe every different type of possible harm that could happen to them in the future.

If they fear more than one thing happening, they must describe each thing that might happen.

This is a very important part of their statement. If they don’t tell Home Affairs what will happen to them if they go back to their own country in lots of detail it makes it hard to get a visa. It is not enough to just say that it will be hard for them because they have no home, or no money, or there are no jobs.

Who will harm them

Your family must give details of all the people they think will harm them. For example, if they fear harm from:

• a militant or religious group, they need to say the name of the group.
• individuals, they need to say their names.
• a few different groups or individuals, they should name all of them.

Why they will be harmed

The statements also need to say why these people will want to harm them. They should say if the reasons they will be harmed are because of their nationality, ethnicity, religion, political opinion or some other reason.

If it is the government of their country that will harm them, they should say why the government will harm them.

To apply for the visa you must create an online account with Home Affairs, called an Immiaccount.

Visit the Home Affairs website to create an Immiaccount.

Once you are logged into your Immiaccount:

1. Start a new application: Select “New Application” and then choose the Refugee and Humanitarian tab.
2. Start with the Global Special Humanitarian Proposal – select this tab and then complete each screen by typing in the required information.
3. Once you have completed the Global Special Humanitarian Proposal complete the second stage of the application which is the Global Special Humanitarian Visa – select this tab and then complete each screen by filling in the required information.

If you do not know an answer you can save your application and then come back to it later to complete.

There is no application fee for a visa. If your family get a visa, you will have to pay for the airplane tickets if you have sponsored them.

Once you submit the application through your Immiaccount you will receive a letter stating that the application has been received and providing you with an Application ID.

Applications can take many years.

Not everyone will get a visa. The government only gives a small number of refugee visas each year and your family may not get a visa.

You can call Home Affairs on 13 18 81 or email them at shp.enquiries@homeaffairs.gov.au. You will need the file number so that they can find the application.

Contact your local Federal Member for Parliament (MP) if it has been more than two years since you lodged the application. You can look up your local MP by putting in the postcode where you live into the Members search on the Parliament of Australia website.

If anything changes for your family during the time the application is being processed, you must tell Home Affairs.

You can do this through your Immiaccount. For example, if they change address, or if they have a baby and need to add the baby to the application, or your family receive new threats from people or groups who wish to harm them.