A refugee living in Australia without a visa has spoken out, saying he is working illegal jobs to survive while Home Affairs assesses his protection claim.
Refugees are being denied access to bridging visas whilst the government assesses their asylum claims
One asylum seeker, Ahmed*, said living without a visa was forcing him underground and severely damaging his mental health.Ahmed was granted a bridging visa while his claim for a longer-term protection visa was processed by the Department of Home Affairs.Bridging visa not renewed "And much more importantly, what they're going to do to resolve this terrible situation where people are left in limbo through no fault of their own while fully engaging in the legal system in relation to the processing of their cases for refugee protection.""It's a totally unnecessary situation which could be swiftly solved with the stroke of a pen by the Minister [for Home Affairs] allowing people to apply for a bridging visa," he said.
On one occasion Mr Hanns helped an asylum seeker find out how to renew their bridging visa and was shocked when he learned that those on "negative pathways" were less likely to be granted bridging visas than others. He says without reform to this area of the country's immigration processes, Australia's situation could start to replicate America's."In Australia from 2030, there's a risk that we'll have that exact same kind of problem.""[This situation] runs the real risk of creating an underclass in this country where people are left in limbo on the margins without any basic means of survival," he said.
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