Australia is looking for new ways to allow Palestinians who fled to the country on temporary visitor visas to stay longer.
Australia’s newly-appointed Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, said that no country should return people to Gaza and revealed that the authorities are working on a solution to extend the visas that will expire soon, VisaGuide.World reports.
The same revealed that even though the government is considering another step towards this issue, a final decision has not yet been made.
In a statement last week, Gaza’s Health Ministry revealed that at least 39,550 Palestinians have been killed during the Israeli military offensive in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
Certainly, no country in the world would send people back to Gaza at the moment … so we have to work through what happens as the visas that people are currently on expire.
Burke did not provide any further information on whether the government is considering offering safe harbor visas or other forms of permanent protection. Temporary visas in Australia are valid for three to 12 months and do not allow recipients to work, attend school, or receive medical care.
Difference Between 2 Types of Temporary Protection Australian Visas
The Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV) allows a five-year stay in Australia, while a Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) allows an indefinite stay. These two visas also allow holders to access certain government services, such as Medicare.
However, in March of this year, Canberra admitted that it had canceled visas for Palestinians fleeing Gaza, which has been under Israeli attack. A month later, the Australian government refused a visa to the head of the Palestinian Football Federation, Jibril Rajoub.
Government data shows that as of June 30, Australia had issued 2,823 temporary visas to Palestinians, including 2,499 visitor visas, since October 7. At the same time, as of March 31, it had issued 3,309 visitor visas to people declaring Israeli citizenship. Meanwhile, as of May 31, Australia had registered about 1,120 Palestinians.
The Coalition’s defense spokesperson, Andrew Hastie, pointed out that the Australian people should have transparency and accountability. In addition, he emphasized that there is no need for efforts for the country to issue hurried visas for political reasons.