Protection visas are for people (or their family members) who face a real risk of significant harm if they return home or a real chance of persecution on the grounds of:
- race
- religion
- nationality
- membership of a particular social group
- political opinion.
To apply for a Protection visa, you must be in Australia on a valid visa and have been immigration cleared on arrival.
Do not apply for a Protection visa as a means to extend your stay in Australia so you can secure paid employment.
Significantly more Protection visa applications are refused than the number granted. More than 85% of applications are refused, as they do not meet the requirements for the visa. Applications from some nationalities have refusal rates close to 100%.
If your Protection visa application is refused and you do not hold a valid visa, you will need to leave Australia. If you do not have a valid visa, you may be detained and removed from Australia.
A refused Protection visa application will stay on your immigration record for life. It may also make it harder for you and your family to visit Australia in the future and can impact future visa applications to other countries, depending on the visa you are applying for.
When you apply for a Protection visa you are seeking asylum in Australia from your home country.
If you apply for a Protection visa, you are declaring that one or both of the following are true:
- You cannot go home without facing a real risk of significant harm or persecution.
- You are a family member of someone who has made such claims.
If you can legally enter and safely live in another country (apart from your home country), you will not get a Protection visa.
You should only apply for a Protection visa if you need asylum in Australia.
Read more about Australia’s protection obligations.