Print1.2.1 Offshore Humanitarian Program
Objective
This component aims to assist people in humanitarian need overseas for whom resettlement in another country is the appropriate option and support Australia’s role as a cooperative international player in the area of responsibility sharing. Through the Humanitarian Program the government provides resettlement for refugees and others in greatest need of this durable solution. This output provides for the delivery of the Humanitarian Program as set by the government in such a way as to enhance settlement outcomes.
Description
This output provides for:
- the delivery of the offshore Humanitarian Program
- enhanced settlement outcomes through the provision of pre-departure services
- community involvement in, and support for, the program
- support for Australia’s role in sharing international responsibility for alleviating humanitarian situations.
Performance
The government made available 13 000 new Humanitarian Program places for 2007–08. Current policy enables the program to be flexibly managed, with allowance for places to be carried over or brought forward for use in consecutive program years. This policy will be reviewed during 2008–09.
The department is also able to re-credit places to the program if offshore visas, once granted, are not taken up or if the holder of a temporary humanitarian or temporary protection visa departs Australia.
At the start of the 2007–08 program, 11 399 of the 13 000 places were available for use. These included 1703 places that had been brought forward to the 2006–07 program year to meet additional demands in that year and 102 places which were re-credited to the program.
The 11 399 places available for use in 2007–08 comprised 6085 refugee places, and 5314 Special Humanitarian Program and initial onshore protection places. A new visa policy enabled the granting of 301 visas to Iraqi locally engaged employees who worked for, or with, the withdrawing elements of the Australian Defence Force commitment in Iraq. These places were in addition to the 2007–08 Humanitarian Program.
Table 43: Offshore Humanitarian Program—performance information| Measures | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantity | |||
| Measure—number of applications (persons) finalised | 100 000 | 90 000 | 85 000 |
| Results | 90 678 | 86 757 | 58 208 |
| Quality | |||
| Percentage of applications finalised within service standard | 88% | 92% | 75% |
Note: These figures include applications that were processed and deemed to be invalid. The service standard is met when 75 per cent of applications are finalised within 12 months of lodgement.
Table 44: Humanitarian Program visa groups| Visa subclass | Visa name |
|---|---|
| Refugee | |
| 200 | Refugee |
| 201 | In-country Special Humanitarian |
| 203 | Emergency Rescue |
| 204 | Woman at Risk |
| 447 | Secondary Movement Offshore Entry (Temporary) |
| 451 | Secondary Movement Relocation (Temporary) |
| Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) | |
| 202 | Global Special Humanitarian |
| Onshore protection | |
| 785 | Temporary Protection |
| 866 | Permanent Protection |
| Temporary Humanitarian Concern | |
| 786 | Temporary (Humanitarian Concern) |
Visa grants
During 2007–08, 13 014 visas were granted as follows:
- 5132 Refugee (subclass 200) visas
- 42 In-country Special Humanitarian (subclass 201) visas
- 5 Emergency Rescue (subclass 203) visas
- 819 Woman at Risk (subclass 204) visas
- 6 Secondary Movement Relocation (Temporary) (subclass 451) visas
- 5026 Global Special Humanitarian Program (subclass 202) visas
- 196 Temporary Protection (subclass 785) visas
- 1704 Permanent Protection (subclass 866) visas
- 84 Temporary (Humanitarian Concern) (subclass 786) visas.
Of the total 13 014 visas granted during 2007–08, 10 799 (83 per cent) were granted under the offshore component. This comprised 6004 Refugee visas (46 per cent) and 4795 SHP visas (37 per cent). The remaining 2215 (17 per cent) were Protection and other visas granted to onshore applicants.See Figure 16.
In 2007–08, 819 visas were granted to Woman at Risk applicants. This represented 13.7 per cent of the Refugee category allocation, exceeding the nominal annual target of 10.5 per cent. The level of Woman at Risk visa grants for 2007–08 was the fourth highest since this visa subclass was established in 1989. A total of 8810 Woman at Risk visas have been granted since then.
The highest number of visas granted under the offshore component in 2007–08 were granted to applicants from the Middle East and South West Asia region (35.25 per cent), followed by people from Asia and the Pacific (33.67 per cent) and from the Africa region (30.48 per cent). Trends in regional totals reflected greater access to resettlement caseloads in these regions and the resettlement priorities recommended by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). See figures 21 and 22 for details.
Processing time
The service standard target of 75 per cent of applications finalised within 12 months was met.
Applications
In 2007–08, a total of 47 331 applications (persons) were made for offshore places, which was 32 955 (41 per cent) less than in 2006–07. A range of factors contributed to this outcome, including publicity regarding the availability of places and the number of applications in the pipeline as well as the requirements to be met for a visa grant. See Figure 24.
Consultations, information and program formulation
The size and composition of the Humanitarian Program is decided by the Australian Government each year following extensive formal consultations including:
- inter-governmental consultations
- a submission, funded by the department, from the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) incorporating the views of its member organisations
- consultations with peak refugee and humanitarian bodies
- advice from the UNHCR.
Efforts to build public support for the Humanitarian Program continued throughout the year through the provision of consistent and accurate public information, and through clear and timely responses to media and other enquiries.
Refugee Week activities and events which took place from 15–21 June 2008 provided an opportunity to raise awareness of refugee issues, provide information and raise the profile of the Humanitarian Program.
Mobile team visits
The department sends mobile teams to refugee locations offshore for periods of up to four weeks to interview humanitarian visa applicants. The teams are usually small in number and comprise departmental staff and interpreters where required. Their role is to supplement the work of the overseas posts in processing refugee and humanitarian visa applications. Mobile team members work in conjunction with locally engaged staff and Australian staff based in the relevant country.
Since 2003–04, 56 teams have been deployed to various locations around the world. In 2007–08, mobile teams visited the Africa, Middle East and South East Asia regions with 11 of these deployed to Jordan, Kenya, South Africa and Thailand.
Cultural orientation
The Australian Cultural Orientation (AUSCO) program for refugee and humanitarian visa holders preparing to settle in Australia was introduced in 2003.
The program is available to all refugees and humanitarian visa holders over the age of five, and is delivered where possible over five days to ensure all topics are covered in sufficient detail.
The AUSCO course is designed for, and delivered to, four main groups—adults, youth, children and pre-literate entrants. In September 2006, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) was awarded the contract to deliver the course on behalf of the department.
In 2007–08, courses were delivered in participants’ languages in Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, India, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey and Uganda.
The course provides an initial introduction to aspects of Australian life which will enhance entrants’ settlement prospects, help create realistic expectations for their life in Australia and help entrants acquire information concerning Australian culture prior to arrival. AUSCO supplements the onshore services provided through the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy services.
A wide range of topics are covered in the curriculum, such as:
- an overview of Australia, including government, geography and climate
- cultural adjustment
- travel to Australia
- settling in
- healthcare
- education
- finding a job
- money management
- housing
- transport
- Australian law
- Australian citizenship
- access to trauma and torture counselling.
Family Day sessions have been developed so that family members attending different courses have a one-day joint session to learn about topics of importance such as shifting family and gender roles.
AUSCO teachers use a variety of teaching methods throughout the course including brainstorming, simulations, case studies, debates, discussions, problem solving and role plays. The department also regularly provides new teaching resources such as videos, DVDs, maps, posters, newspapers and books about Australia in order to maximise the learning experience for the participants.
The AUSCO Program Consultative Committee met twice in 2007–08 to review existing curriculum materials and provide advice on other aspects of the program. The committee comprises education experts, refugee advocates, a Centrelink officer, law enforcement officers and former refugees.
A new initiative for the AUSCO program in 2007–08 included the deployment to Thailand of two Youth Ambassadors through AusAID’s Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development Program to work with IOM on curriculum development projects.
The RCOA, IOM and the department also agreed in 2007–08 to trial a Visiting Guest Trainer Program. Australian-based settlement providers visited Malaysia and Thailand to assist with AUSCO course delivery and advise on curriculum enhancements.
From the beginning of the program in 2003 to 30 June 2008, about 1300 courses were held in Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, India, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Romania, the Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, assisting more than 25 700 humanitarian visa holders.
Pre-departure medical screening
Pre-departure medical screening (PDMS) provides offshore health screening for refugee and humanitarian visa holders in the days preceding departure for Australia.
The screening is typically undertaken within three days of clients’ departure to Australia, and forms a second level of health screening in addition to the stringent health screening applicants undertake to determine whether they have met the health requirements for a visa grant. It also ensures that visa holders are fit to travel to Australia, recognising the possibility for changes in clients’ health status in the period between initial health assessment and departure.
There are two models of PDMS, developed to correspond to the health conditions of particular applicant populations. Depending on the model, PDMS services test for communicable diseases, provide a thorough physical examination and assess clients’ general health status and fitness to travel.
First introduced in East and West Africa in August 2005, PDMS services were expanded in 2007–08 to include India, Malaysia, the Middle East, Nepal, Pakistan and Southern Africa. The location of PDMS services will continue to reflect the source locations of the refugee and humanitarian caseload.
No-interest loan scheme
IOM operates a no-interest travel loan scheme to assist Special Humanitarian visa holders and their proposers to fund the cost of travel to Australia. The scheme received Commonwealth funding in 2005 to enhance its lending conditions and the number of people it could assist. The department continues to work with IOM to ensure the scheme is as effective as possible and has the greatest coverage.
Funding for UNHCR projects
Australia continued its assistance to the UNHCR to improve its capacity to deliver resettlement referrals for the Australian program. In 2007–08, $293 064 was provided to continue funding of existing projects in the Middle East and South Asia, including:
- a 12 month deployment of a resettlement officer to Beirut, Lebanon, who will primarily focus on Iraqi refugees
- a 12 month deployment of a resettlement officer to Tehran, Iran, who will also primarily focus on Iraqi refugees in the region
- a project in New Delhi, India, to identify and assist refugees, including through resettlement, with an emphasis on women and girls at risk and protracted cases.
Figure 18: Humanitarian Program visa grants compared to available places
Figure 20: Humanitarian Program Woman at Risk grants 2007–08—top five countries of birth
Figure 22: Humanitarian Program visa grants offshore—regional trend
Figure 24: Humanitarian Program applications for offshore places
