Australia's Refugee and Humanitarian Program (the Program) helps refugees and people in humanitarian need who are:
- outside Australia (offshore), and need to resettle to Australia when they do not have any other durable solutions available; or
- already in Australia (onshore), and who want to seek protection after arriving in Australia.
Australia has a long history of providing resettlement for refugees and others who are displaced as a result of conflict, persecution and human rights abuses.
Since the end of World War II, Australia has successfully settled more than 930,000 refugees and others in humanitarian need.
Australia is committed to compassionate and flexible Humanitarian and Settlement Programs that meets our international protection obligations, and position Australia as a global leader in international resettlement efforts.
A total of 17,875 places in the 2022–23 Humanitarian Program will ensure we can provide permanent resettlement to those most in need, and provide appropriate support for the travel and resettlement of refugees and others requiring Australia’s protection. The Program comprises:
- 1,500 places for the onshore protection component;
- 12,250 places for the offshore component, including 1,400 places for the Community Support Program (CSP); and
- 4,125 additional places for Afghan nationals.
The offshore component of the Humanitarian Program prioritises refugees of nationalities from three major regions, and includes:
- humanitarian entrants from the Middle East, including from Iraq, Syria, Iran, and other countries in the region;
- refugees and SHP entrants from Asia, including from Myanmar, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Laos among others;
- humanitarian entrants from Africa, including from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan;
- up to 250 places unallocated to a citizenship region, to account for unforeseen need.
Consistent with the approach adopted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Australia prioritises those cohorts who have the greatest resettlement need, including:
- people outside their home country, assessed as refugees by the UNHCR and referred to Australia for resettlement;
- applicants proposed by a close family member in Australia; and
- vulnerable cohorts within refugee populations, including women and children, ethnic minorities, LGBTQI+ and other identified minority groups.
We also fulfil our international obligations by offering protection to non-citizens who are already in Australia. The onshore component of the Humanitarian Program is reserved for people who arrive lawfully in Australia and engage Australia’s non-refoulement (non-return) obligations.
Individuals who wish to seek Australia’s protection, and are found to engage Australia’s non‑refoulement (non-return) obligations, may be granted protection provided they also satisfy the relevant visa criteria, which includes the health, character and security requirements that apply to all Australian visas.
