Eligibility
To be eligible for the Community Support Program (CSP) you must:
- be outside your home country and outside Australia
- be subject to substantial discrimination in your home country
- satisfy all Class XB (subclass 202) criteria of the
Global Special Humanitarian visa
- be aged between 18 and 50
- have adequate English and demonstrate this at a visa interview – refer to ‘CSP English language requirements’ below
- have a job offer (or a pathway that leads to employment) and/or personal attributes that would enable you to become financially self-sufficient within 12 months of arrival in Australia.
You must also have people in Australia who are willing to financially support your visa application and settlement. Support may come from communities, businesses, friends and/or family.
Apply
If you wish to apply for the CSP, you must apply through an
Approved Proposing Organisation (APO).
An APO will:
- screen you against the eligibility requirements
- link you with secure employment
- help lodge your visa application
- support you throughout the application process
- ensure you receive settlement services once you arrive in Australia.
If you have Australian supporters who would like to support you, they should contact an
APO.
If you do not know any people in Australia who are able to support you, but believe you meet all other CSP eligibility requirements, you can contact an APO directly.
APOs may be able to match you with members of the Australian community who are interested in supporting people in humanitarian need.
We only grant a certain number of visas under the CSP every year. The CSP is heavily oversubscribed. Processing may take eight years or more. All applicants should expect lengthy processing times.
To help manage this, we have asked all APOs to pause accepting Expression of Interests (EOI) and lodging new visa applications until late September 2025.
All applicants under the CSP must meet the visa criteria and satisfy public interest criteria for character, security and health before we can grant them a visa.
CSP English language requirements
Per existing adequate English language requirements under the CSP, we will assess the primary applicant’s English language proficiency during their visa interview. We will ask the primary applicant to answer a few questions in English without help from the interpreter. These questions assess whether the primary applicant has adequate spoken English for independent daily living and employment, including workplace safety.
An interpreter will be available at the interview to help with answering all other interview questions.
