Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot will become a permanent program in 2026
The Australian Government’s cost-effective Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP) will become permanent feature of Australia’s overall humanitarian program.
The permanent program is earmarked to support an initial 200 refugees in 2026-27, within the overall humanitarian program allocation cap.
The CRISP was announced by the Australian Government in December 2021. Under the program, refugee category visa holders receive settlement support directly from trained community groups, called Community Supporter Groups (CSGs).
Drawn from within the Humanitarian Program, CRISP aims to achieve optimal settlement outcomes with the help of Australian community members who want to help refugees settle into life in Australia.
CRISP operates as a dedicated settlement pathway for refugees who:
- do not have family links in Australia
- are referred to Australia by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for resettlement.
The current pilot program, due to conclude on 30 June 2026, has delivered positive settlement outcomes for refugee category visa holders and the Australian communities involved in welcoming them.
The CSGs help CRISP participants to settle in Australia by providing a range of support for 12 months from their date of arrival in Australia.
The Government will draw from the University of Queensland’s evaluation and work closely with the settlement and community sector to design the permanent program, including running a competitive and transparent process to select the organisation to administer the program into the future.
Community Supporter Group
A CSG comprises five or more adult individuals who support CRISP participants for 12 months from their date of arrival in Australia. During this time, CSGs provide wraparound settlement and integration support to CRISP participants. CRISP participants can access the same government services as other humanitarian visa holders, such as Medicare and Centrelink.
Prospective CSGs form a local group of at least five adults who are Australian citizens or permanent residents. Prospective CSGs need to demonstrate that they have secured sufficient funds to support CRISP participants. Financial commitments for CSGs depend on a range of factors, including the number of participants.
CSGs help CRISP participants with a range of activities, including but not limited to:
- registering for government support, such as Medicare and Centrelink
- accessing education
- linking with employment services
- attending appointments.
We have contracted Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) to administer CRISP. To find out more about becoming a CSG, check the CRSA website:
CRISP: Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot.
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