Refugee Visa (Subclass 200)

Core Eligibility

To qualify for the Refugee Visa (Subclass 200), you must:

Be outside Australia — You must be offshore when you apply and when your visa is granted. You cannot apply from within Australia.

Face persecution in your home country — You must need resettlement because you face persecution based on one of the protected grounds under the 1951 Refugee Convention: race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership of a particular social group. Persecution must be real and ongoing; generalized hardship or poverty alone does not qualify.

Be referred by UNHCR or identified by the Australian Government — The typical pathway is referral by UNHCR for resettlement. However, the Australian Government may also identify applicants directly. You cannot apply directly — you must be nominated through one of these channels. This is a fundamental requirement; self-initiated applications are not possible.

Meet the "compelling reasons" criterion — Australia receives far more applications than available resettlement places each year. Only applicants in the most compelling circumstances are accepted. Competition is intense, and the threshold for approval is high.

Meet health requirements — You and any family members applying with you must meet Australia's health requirements. Health waivers are possible only in compassionate and compelling circumstances and are rare. You should not assume a waiver will be granted.

Meet character requirements — You and family members must meet character requirements. This typically requires police certificates from countries where you have lived for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after turning 16. Criminal convictions, serious character concerns, or security risks will result in refusal.

Sign the Australian Values Statement — If you are 18 or older, you must confirm you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.

Have no outstanding debts to the Australian Government — Any debts owed by you or family members (including those not applying with you) must be paid or a repayment arrangement made.

Split Family Provisions

If your immediate family members are already in Australia holding a Refugee category visa (Subclass 200, 201, 203, 204), Global Special Humanitarian visa (Subclass 202), Protection visa (Subclass 866), or Resolution of Status visa (Subclass 851), they may propose your application. Your proposer must:

• Have been a member of your immediate family when their visa was granted
• Have declared your relationship to the Department before their visa was granted
• Still be a member of your family
• Propose your application within 5 years of their visa grant

Important restriction: If you arrived in Australia as an unauthorised maritime arrival on or after 13 August 2012 (by boat without authorization), you cannot propose applications for family members. This significantly limits your ability to sponsor relatives.