Humanitarian Visa Amendments Effective 9 April 2008
9 April 2008 - Legislation Change
Client summary
From 9 April 2008, the Migration Regulations 1994 (‘the Regulations’) are amended to allow applicants to be granted a Subclass 200 (Refugee) or Subclass 201 (In-country Special Humanitarian) visa if they have been certified by a relevant Minister as being in a specified class of persons and at risk of harm for a reason or reasons related to being in that class. The relevant Minister may be the Attorney-General, the Minister for Defence, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Home Affairs or the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.
The amendments are designed to initially facilitate certain locally engaged Iraqi citizens who have worked collaboratively with the Australian Defence Force in Iraq and are at risk of harm because of this work, access to a permanent humanitarian visa provided all other necessary criteria are satisfied.
Affected legislation
The following provisions of the Regulations are amended:
Parts 200 and 201 of Schedule 2.
Additional information: N/A.
Transitional provisions: The amendment Regulations apply in relation to an application for a visa made on or after the date the Regulations commence (9 April 2008).
Forms: N/A.
Instructions: PAM3 will be amended to reflect these changes by late 2008.