Economic participation is critical for refugees and humanitarian entrants to integrate in Australia. Creating jobs and pathways to employment and self-employment for refugees in local labour markets is an important focus of the Department of Home Affairs’ work.
The Economic Pathways to Refugee Integration (EPRI) program focuses on increasing employment rates for refugees and humanitarian entrants. It creates job opportunities and pathways to employment and self-employment for refugees with low skill levels and low English language proficiency. The EPRI program is a pilot program which began in February 2023 and has been extended to 30 June 2026.
Program eligibility
The EPRI program is for eligible refugee and humanitarian entrants with unique barriers to employment with:
- Low English language proficiency and/or
- Low skill levels.
Eligible visa subclasses
Permanent visa subclasses
- Child visa (subclass 101) - Where the individual is from one of the following humanitarian nationalities:
- Afghan, Central Africans, Colombians, Congolese, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Guatemalan, Honduran, Iraqi, Israeli, Myanmarese, Pakistani, Palestinian, Rohingya, Salvadorian, Somali, South Sudanese, Sudanese, Syrian, Ukrainian and Venezuelan.
- Orphan Relative visa (subclass 117)
- Refugee visa (subclass 200)
- In-country Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 201)
- Global Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 202)
- Emergency Rescue visa (subclass 203)
- Woman at Risk visa (subclass 204)
- Territorial Asylum visa (subclass 800)
- Orphan Relative visa (subclass 837) - Where the individual is from one of the following humanitarian nationalities:
- Afghan, Central Africans, Colombians, Congolese, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Guatemalan, Honduran, Iraqi, Israeli, Myanmarese, Pakistani, Palestinian, Rohingya, Salvadorian, Somali, South Sudanese, Sudanese, Syrian, Ukrainian and Venezuelan.
- Resolution of Status visa (subclass 851)
- Protection visa (subclass 866)
Temporary visa subclasses
- Temporary Humanitarian Stay visa (subclass 449) - All visa holders (including Afghans, Ukrainians, Palestinians, and Israelis).
- Temporary Humanitarian Concern visa (subclass 786) - All visa holders (including Afghans, Ukrainians, Palestinians, and Israelis).
Australian citizens are not eligible for the EPRI program.
