Temporary protection visa

A Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) was an Australian visa document introduced by the Howard government on 20 October 1999, which was issued to persons who had been recognised as refugees fleeing persecution. The scheme was controversial, with the government claiming it was a necessary response to the misuse of the asylum process by unauthorised arrivals. Refugee advocates described TPVs as a cruel way to treat people which left asylum seekers with an uncertain future.cite news |first=Daniel |last=Hoare |title=Push for temporary visa system to be abolished |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/13/2189021.htm |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=2008-03-13 |accessdate=2008-06-19 ]

The Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) was issued to persons who applied for refugee status after making an unauthorised arrival in Australia, and was the main type of visa issued to refugees when released from Australian immigration detention facilities. After being granted a TPV, refugees were forced to reapply several years later, in case conditions changed in their homeland. While on a TPV, refugees were forbidden to travel overseas, and forbidden to find employment in Australia. There were denied access to social security, and were not allowed to sponsor family members for settlement in Australia.cite news |first=Jewel |last=Topsfield |title=1000 refugees celebrate dropping of temporary visa |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/1000-refugees-celebrate-dropping-of-temporary-visa/2008/05/15/1210765057420.html |publisher="The Age" |location=Melbourne |date=2008-05-16 |accessdate=2008-06-19 ]

The Rudd Government committed to the abolition of the TPV category as part of its Budget 2008-09 announcements made in May 2008. The Regulations providing for the granting of permanent protection visas (PPVs) to all refugees who have established a claim for protection in Australia were introduced into the federal Parliament in August 2008. From this time, any person who is applying onshore for refugee protection will be granted a PPV. Individuals who were, as of August 2008, still on a TPV, became eligible to apply for a Resolution of Status Visa, which, should it be granted, is akin to a permanent protection visa. The Resolution of Status Visa is granted subject to the TPV applicant undergoing health and ASIO/AFP security checks. It should be noted that all TPV holders were required to pass health and security checks before receiving their TPV.

Criticism

The Refugee Council of Australia is opposed to TPVs "....as these new measures are contrary to our international obligations and will have a profound and lasting impact on the people concerned and the communities from which they came."

Human Rights Watch has made a number of criticisms of Australia's TPV program. For example:

:"Australia is the only country to require refugees who have already been recognized as genuine refugees, as a result of rigorous and demanding determination procedures, to re-prove their claim in light of new circumstances, several years later....... Nothing in the drafting or preparatory notes for Article 1A of the Refugee Convention suggests that States would determine status over and over again in each individual case."

References

External links

* [http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/64protection.htm Australian Immigration Fact Sheet - Temporary Protection Visas]
* [http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/html/facts_and_stats/facts.html Refugee Council of Australia - Facts and Stats]
* [http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/refugees/australia051303.htm Human Rights Watch Commentary On Australia's Temporary Protection Visas For Refugees]
*http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/2008/ce05-buget-08.htm