2012-Jan 13: Granting work visas to approved refugee claimants/asylum seekers who have not yet applied for and/or been granted residence

13 Jan 2012

Granting work visas to approved refugee claimants/asylum seekers who have not yet applied for and/or been granted residence

Work visas for approved refugee claimants/asylum seekers are typically being granted for a period of three months.

The short-term nature of these work visas has been causing issues with some clients due to:

• employers viewing the short-term length of the visa as a disincentive to employ the client, due to the perceived uncertainty of their ongoing work situation, and
• the greater likelihood that a further work visa will be required, due to the processing time required to apply for and/or be granted residence which creates additional work for immigration officers and unnecessary cost, contact and effort for the client.

Instead of granting three month work visas to refugee claimants/asylum seekers, branches should grant work visas for a longer period of time (one year is recommended). A longer length of visa will provide these clients a better opportunity to access work opportunities to support settlement, and reduce cost and unnecessary contact time. Short-term visas may continue to be granted where the processing officer believes the individual circumstances warrant a limited duration.