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Protection visas are for asylum seekers

​​​​​Australia has visas available to offer protection for asylum seekers.

A Protection (subclass 866) visa allows a person who is at real risk of significant harm or persecution in their home country to live in Australia permanently. This visa is not for people who just want to stay longer in Australia to work.

You cannot apply for a Protection visa if you are outside Australia. You must have arrived in Australia on a valid visa and have been immigration cleared on your arrival.

Big changes are now in effect for the Protection visa application process leading to faster processing times. Most new applications now have a decision made almost 8 times faster, compared to recent years. This means a quicker grant of Protection visas to those in need, and a swift refusal for those who are not eligible.

Do not apply for a Protection visa if you do not need asylum in Australia. We quickly refuse applicants who do not meet Protection visa criteria, for example, those who just want to work or extend their stay in Australia.

If you are considering applying for a Protection visa, we strongly encourage you to seek the right advice for before you apply.​


Protection visa

Nela: I came to know about Protection visas from some informal agents.

I was advised it was easier to apply for a Protection visa, it only requires your passport and administration fee.

Rose: A friend of mine received advice that after he graduates, he should apply for a Protection visa, he was advised the visa will be cheaper to apply for compared to others and the process is very simple. He took this advice.

But in fact the Government requested he provide documents and evidence soon after he applied.

He wasn’t able to provide the requested documents so his visa was refused very quickly.

Akash: People are under the misconception that by submitting false and fabricated documents, and by taking advice from fake migration agents, their Protection visa application will be approved, but that’s not the case.

I have heard that many people waste a lot of money on this and endure a great deal of anger and frustration. In the end, they are sent back to their home country.

Maggie: I have a friend who applied for a Protection visa which was refused. She applied for a Protection visa after her Tourist visa expired.

She was assisted by a local agent for a very affordable price and did not anticipate the consequences of her application.

So the application was refused and she chose to appeal. After going through the appeal process, she got the same result.

Sean: When I was advised to apply for a Protection visa I wanted to know who is eligible.

Based on my research Protection visas are for genuine asylum seekers.

Nela: If you are advised to apply for a Protection visa, visit Home Affairs website for information.

Legal advice has been made available, and it’s confidential and free to access them.

For translated captions of this video, see our Protection visa YouTube playlist.

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