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Global Special Humanitarian visa (Subclass 202)

AustraliaHumanitarian protection

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Explore pathways in Australia Read the five questions ↓

What exactly is this: asylum, temporary protection, humanitarian admission, resettlement or another protection mechanism?

This is a permanent humanitarian resettlement visa (offshore, proposal-based), not an in-country asylum claim: it lets a person move to and settle permanently in Australia because they face substantial discrimination or human rights abuses in their home country and have an Australian proposer, or because they are joining an immediate family member who already holds this visa.

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Which population, circumstances or geographic group does the mechanism cover?

The mechanism covers two groups: people living outside Australia and outside their own country of origin who are subject to substantial discrimination in their home country amounting to a gross violation of their human rights and who have a proposer; and immediate family members, living outside Australia, of a person who was granted this same visa within the last five years.

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Where can protection be requested, and is this a direct application, border/in-country request, referral or other process?

This is a proposal-based process, not a direct application, border claim or UNHCR referral: the applicant must be proposed by an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, an eligible New Zealand citizen, or an organisation in Australia (or, for an immediate family member applicant, by the person already holding the visa). From 1 July 2025 the proposer must complete the proposal in ImmiAccount first, and the applicant must use the resulting transaction reference number within 60 days to lodge the visa application, also in ImmiAccount.

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  • Eligibility tab — Have a proposer
    You must be proposed for this visa by a person or organisation in Australia.
  • Eligibility tab — Have a proposer
    an Australian citizen an Australian permanent resident an eligible New Zealand citizen or an organisation in Australia.
  • Overview tab
    From 1 July 2025, you must use ImmiAccount if you are proposing a person, or applying for, a Refugee and Humanitarian visa. You must complete the proposal first and use your transaction reference number (TRN) within 60 days to apply for the visa in ImmiAccount.

What happens after the request: registration, family handling, major support and rights where officially stated?

After the proposal and application are lodged, the applicant and any family members applying with them must meet Australia's health and character requirements (a compassionate and compelling health-requirement waiver is possible), sign the Australian Values Statement if 18 or over, and have no unpaid debt to the Australian Government. Because far more people apply than there are places available, decisions can take many years and most applications are unsuccessful; travel costs are the applicant's or proposer's responsibility, with help available from Toll (the department's Assisted Passage provider) and the International Organization for Migration, and successful applicants are invited to the Australian Cultural Orientation (AUSCO) programme before travel and given settlement assistance on arrival.

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Which competent authority, UN body or official assistance channel should the person use?

Official assistance channels named are the proposer, who has settlement-support responsibilities; Toll, the department's Assisted Passage service provider, which helps organise travel, exit permits and the AMS ImmiCard; and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The page does not include an explicit fraud or scam warning for prospective applicants or proposers.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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