Asylum Seekers moved onto Final Departure Bridging Visas

By Emma Carolan, CRA Justice Research Officer

From the middle of this year, Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has begun transferring an estimated 515 people from community detention to Final Departure Bridging visas. This group had initially been brought into Australia by the Federal Government from Nauru or Papua New Guinea for medical attention. Whilst now permitted for the first time to work and study in Australia, this visa has also removed the financial assistance they were receiving in community detention and individuals have been given only 3 weeks’ notice to make this transition.

Refugee Council of Australia Chief Executive Officer, Paul Power, has said that this risks destitution, stating:

“While it is a good thing that people have been granted the right to work after being denied it for seven years, it will be very difficult in an economic recession for many refugees in this group to be able to find a sustainable income at short notice, with no prior Australian work experience and no opportunity to gain local qualifications… While some members of the group are fluent in English, others have limited English, having been denied access to programs such as the Adult Migrant English Program.”

Furthermore, although the visa suggests that individuals will be departing from Australia, the Refugee Council of Australia believe that this is unlikely to happen. Despite some being advised to return to PNG, it is unclear if the PNG authorities will actually receive them. Many cannot return to their country of origin safely as they were granted refugee status in Nauru or PNG, and any forced return would contravene Australia’s non-refoulement obligations under international law.  Many affected also do not have applications in process for resettlement elsewhere. Thus, many individuals will be left without federal government support, leaving State and Local Government services, NGOs and volunteer groups to shoulder the burden.

To see what you can do to support Australia’s asylum seekers, consider the following:

Educate Yourself:

Temporary is an 8-part series launched in November by UNSW’s Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Centre for Ideas and Guardian Australia.  Using words, audio, music and art, Temporary tells the stories of Zaki, Hani, Kumar, Elaheh, Arman and Yehye, who all came to Australia seeking refuge. It shines a spotlight on their attempts to navigate Australia’s refugee system, and their struggles to gain secure permanent protection. You can access Temporary here.

Donate:

Zaki Haidari, as featured in Temporary, is running 500km by 31 December 2020, symbolising 100km for each year of his temporary protection visa. His fundraiser will help Refugee Advice & Casework Service provide free legal services and advocacy for people seeking asylum. Sponsor Zaki on his fundraising page here. 

Buy some Bread:

The Bread & Butter Project are Australia’s first social enterprise bakery, who invest 100% of their profits into providing baking training and employment opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers. Through a 6 - 8 month traineeship, trainees receive on-the-job bakery training; TAFE accreditation; English-language tutoring; and support to find employment after graduation. You can support the Bread & Butter Project by purchasing their baked goods from Harris Farm Markets, Woolworth Metro Stores and selected retailers, or make a direct donation here. You can learn more about the Bread & Butter Project here.