202 Global Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 202)

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	Global Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 202)
Stay	Permanent
Cost	No charge, except some CSP cases
Apply from	Outside Australia and country of origin
Eligibility timing	Apply within 60 days of proposal
Work rights	Work in Australia
Study	Study in Australia
Medicare	Eligible to enrol
Travel facility	Five years from grant
Citizenship	May be eligible
Family sponsorship	Propose eligible family permanently
Visa record	Digitally linked; no label
Proposer required	Yes, person or organisation
Processing	May take many years

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Purpose

This visa lets people move permanently to Australia where they:

• face substantial discrimination or human rights abuses in their home country and have a proposer; or
• are immediate family of a person granted this visa within the last five years, where that person is their proposer.

The discrimination must amount to a gross violation of human rights in the applicant’s home country.

Eligibility

You must:

• be outside Australia when applying and when the decision is made;
• be outside your country of origin when applying;
• have a proposer in Australia;
• meet health and character requirements;
• sign or accept the Australian Values Statement if aged 18 or over;
• repay any Australian Government debt, or have a formal repayment arrangement; and
• provide accurate information.

Your proposer must be an:

• Australian citizen;
• Australian permanent resident;
• eligible New Zealand citizen; or
• organisation in Australia.

If applying as the immediate family member of a person granted this visa, that person must be your proposer.

Health and character

Applicants and applying family members must meet health and character requirements. Non-migrating family members might also need to meet the health and character requirements.

Health requirements may be waived in compassionate and compelling circumstances.

Family Members

You can include family members when applying or add certain family members before a decision.

Eligible family can include:

• your partner;
• your dependent children;
• your partner’s dependent children; and
• dependent relatives, including parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins, including step-relatives.

A non-dependent child must apply for their own visa.

Declare all family members, including those not applying. If you do not declare a family member, you may be unable to propose them later for a Humanitarian visa.

For a child under 18, obtain consent from any person with legal authority over where the child lives who is not migrating. Provide either:

• Form 1229; or
• a statutory declaration of consent, with identity evidence.

If the child will not live with a relative or legal guardian, provide Form 1257.

Cost

There is no visa application charge unless an Approved Proposing Organisation proposes you under the Community Support Program (CSP).

The Department may request a second instalment after all other requirements are met. Pay only after receiving an invoice.

You or your proposer are responsible for travel costs.

Processing and Priorities

There are more resettlement applications than available visas. Processing may take many years, and most applications will be unsuccessful.

The Department does not provide application status updates and cannot expedite applications outside its priorities.

Family reunion applications are more likely to succeed where the proposer is immediate or close family, due to higher priority. Priority groups include:

1. Immediate family proposer meeting split-family criteria.
2. Close family proposer not meeting split-family criteria.
3. Extended family proposer.
4. Distant relative, friend or community organisation proposer.
5. Proposer holding a Protection or Resolution of Status visa.

For split-family priority, the proposer must have:

• been part of your immediate family when granted their visa;
• declared the relationship before their visa grant; and
• proposed you within five years of their visa grant.

A person who arrived as an unauthorised maritime arrival on or after 13 August 2012 cannot propose family under the Humanitarian Program.

Rights and Benefits

Once granted, you can:

• stay in Australia permanently;
• work and study;
• enrol in Medicare;
• attend free Adult Migrant English Program classes;
• propose eligible family members for permanent residence;
• travel to and from Australia for five years from grant; and
• apply for Australian citizenship if eligible.

You become an Australian permanent resident when you first enter Australia on this visa. This date counts for citizenship purposes.

Australian workplace law protects visa holders working in Australia.

Obligations and Conditions

You must:

• enter Australia by the initial arrival date in your grant letter;
• obey Australian laws;
• comply with any signed health undertaking;
• hold a valid travel document; and
• notify the Department of changes to your contact details, passport, relationship status or the birth of a child.

Do not arrange travel to Australia until the visa is granted in writing.

Travel

You can leave and return to Australia for five years from the visa grant date.

After the five-year travel facility ends, you need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter Australia.

If your initial arrival date has passed, contact the visa processing office for a travel facilitation letter. You might need another medical examination.

You cannot use an ImmiCard to leave and return to Australia. Tell the Department if you receive a new travel document so it can be linked to your visa.

Required Documents

Provide documents relevant to your circumstances, including:

• passport identity pages, or a statement explaining unavailable identity documents;
• national identity card, if held;
• evidence of name changes;
• a detailed English statement explaining why you left your home country;
• evidence of registration with refugee organisations, if applicable;
• certified copies of visas or residence permits;
• relationship documents, including marriage certificates or registrations;
• one scanned full-face photograph for each applicant;
• military service or discharge records, if applicable; and
• English translations of all non-English documents.

For a de facto partner, provide evidence of at least 12 months’ relationship before applying, such as joint accounts, bills, leases, mortgages or shared-address evidence.

For dependent applicants aged 18 or over, provide evidence of financial, physical or psychological dependency.

Translations completed outside Australia must show the translator’s English-language name, contact details, qualifications and experience.

How to Apply

From 1 July 2025, applications and proposals must use ImmiAccount.

1. Your proposer submits a proposal through ImmiAccount, unless applying under CSP.
2. Obtain the proposal transaction reference number (TRN).
3. Apply in ImmiAccount within 60 days of the proposal.
4. Select Refugee & Humanitarian.
5. Select Offshore Humanitarian Visa (200, 201, 202, 203, 204).
6. Complete and submit the application.

The proposal expires after 60 days. If it expires, the proposer must submit a new proposal and provide a new TRN.

CSP proposers submit Form 842 and an Approved Proposing Organisation proposal form.

Submit related family applications at the same time and list all family members applying separately.

After Applying

The Department may ask you to:

• complete health examinations;
• provide biometrics;
• provide further documents or information;
• attend an interview; or
• comment on information that may lead to refusal.

Use Form 1436 to add an eligible applicant after lodgement.

Use Form 1023 to correct incorrect answers.

Use Form 956A to appoint or withdraw an authorised recipient, or Form 956 to appoint or withdraw an immigration assistance provider.

Important Warnings

• Do not provide false information or false identity documents.
• Do not claim to be a single vulnerable woman if this is untrue. The Department may cancel the visa and prevent future sponsorship.
• Spouses and parents of vulnerable women and their children are not prioritised under this visa.
• Women granted a visa based on vulnerability should sponsor spouses through the Family stream.
• Keep a copy of the written visa decision.