Afghanistan update

We are receiving a large volume of enquiries from visa applicants, sponsors and members of the public seeking to assist Afghan nationals who wish to be granted a visa or leave Afghanistan.

The Department is working to triage, manage and respond to as many enquiries as possible.

Foreign nationals, including from Afghanistan, need a valid visa to enter Australia. People will not be able to settle in Australia if they arrive illegally.

Locally Engaged Employees (LEEs) who have been certified by their employer as being at risk of harm as a result of their employment in support of Australia’s mission in Afghanistan, are a high priority. Those who have not met the threshold for Afghan LEE certification but who have a connection with Australia will also be prioritised under the Humanitarian Program. This includes extended family members of Afghan LEEs already settled in Australia.

Afghan LEEs and their immediate family members with valid Australian visas are also automatically exempt from Australia’s travel restrictions.

The Australian Government announced on 18 August 2021 that an initial 3,000 humanitarian places will be allocated to Afghan nationals within Australia’s annual program, which currently provides 13,750 places annually. The Government anticipates this initial allocation will increase further over the course of 2021-22.

Afghan citizens will be prioritised for processing within Australia’s offshore Humanitarian program. Applications are assessed on an individual basis with applicants required to demonstrate their humanitarian need. Processing t​​imes can vary based on the applicant’s circumstances. This includes their location and their ability to travel, provide documents or access Australian government officials.

Visa grants are subject to rigorous assessment, including health, character and security checks, which are normally conducted before people are granted a visa.

Humanitarian visa information is available at Refugee and humanitarian visa options.

Afghan citizens outside Australia (including those in Afghanistan) can apply for Australia’s Humanitarian Program.

Afghan citizens can access Form 842 Application for an Offshore Humanitarian visa

Applications will be processed in accordance with Government announcements and within program priorities.

If you are having difficulty accessing communications  to apply, another person can apply on your behalf:

• their proposer
• a close family member
• a parliamentarian
• a member of a diplomatic mission
• a member of a consular post
• a member of an international organisations
• a registered migration agent
• or a legal practitioner.

If you would like to appoint someone to apply on your behalf, you will need to complete Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person.

Australia’s Migration Program is also available for people who wish to migrate on the basis of their skills or relationships with family in Australia.

All visa applicants, including Partner  and other Family stream visa applicants, must meet the requirements in the migration legislation, such as family relationship, health, character and identity, before a visa can be granted. Some Family visa categories are subject to capping and queuing arrangements.

All visa applications must meet the requirements in the migration legislation before a visa is granted, including health, character and identity. Some visa categories are subject to capping and queuing arrangements.

Assessments of a permanent visa often cannot be completed quickly, because of the need to consider the visa application against a range of criteria in migration legislation.

All existing citizenship by descent applications for Afghan nationals in Afghanistan are being treated as a high priority.

Information on the types of visas that applicants might wish to consider is available at Explore visa options.