Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Program (CRISP)
After a successful pilot, the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Program (CRISP) is now a permanent part of Australia’s humanitarian program.
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.
We have contracted Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) to run the CRISP.
Community Supporter Groups
Under CRISP, refugee category visa holders receive settlement support directly from trained community groups, called Community Supporter Groups (CSGs).
A CSG consists of five or more adults who support CRISP participants for 12 months from their date of arrival in Australia. During this time, CSGs give broad settlement and integration support to CRISP participants.
CSGs help CRISP participants with various activities, including but not limited to:
- registering for government support, such as Medicare and Centrelink
- accessing education
- linking with employment services
- attending appointments.
Evaluation
The government asked the University of Queensland to evaluate the CRISP pilot and the Community Support Program (CSP).
The evaluation found these community settlement programs:
- lead to strong integration outcomes for refugees and humanitarian entrants
- benefit the community members involved
- have the potential to bring meaningful, long-term benefits for refugees, host communities, and broader Australian society.
The department continues to refine its settlement programs to address findings and recommendations from the evaluation.
For more information, see the below reports:
More information
Further information about CRISP is available on the
Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA).
