A twist of fate has left asylum seekers who have travelled to Australia on the same boat facing utterly different futures.
Key points:
- Hundreds have rallied outside Parliament House against what they say is an inconsistent approach to refugee visas
- The federal government recently announced 19,000 temporary visa holders would be eligible to apply for permanent visas
- The government says anyone who arrives illegally by boat will have no chance of permanent settlement
It is a familiar story for those on bridging visas. The passenger sitting next to them on a crowded boat bound for Australia now has a pathway to permanent residency while they have to apply for a new visa every six months.
Hundreds of asylum seekers rallied on the lawns out the front of Parliament House on Monday, calling out what they see as an inconsistent approach that prolongs uncertainty.
The group travelled from around Australia on the back of the federal government’s announcement last month that 19,000 Temporary Protection (TPV) and Safe Haven Enterprise (SHEV) visa holders would be eligible to apply for permanent visas.
At the time of announcing the pathway, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said thousands of TPV and SHEV holders had “endured 10 years of uncertainty” due to the policies of the previous government.
Speaking at the rally, asylum seeker Ali said the announcement continued that uncertainty for the remaining cohort of some 12,000 other applicants both onshore and offshore.
“We have been waiting, waiting, waiting … there is no future,” Ali said.
He said a number of passengers on his boat had been granted permanent residency but he had not.
“I came with 133 people,” he said. “Most of them are refugees. All my friends have permanent visas now.
“Out of 133 people, only four people transferred to Nauru where we suffered for five years.
“We came here now and [there is] still no solution.”
Maria Kahie, a Somali asylum seeker, travelled from Queensland in the hope of certainty after nine years of “limbo”.
Maria, who was detained in Nauru, has been told she is ineligible to apply for permanent residency despite others on her boat, who were brought to Australia, being eligible.
“This system is not built for us to succeed,” Ms Kahie said.
“It’s built for us to fail.
“Some of my friends are getting the protection now, which is great and I don’t want to take anything away from them, but the point is what about us?
“I have two Australian kids, my Australian husband here, I have a cleaning business. Going to a third country is not an option for me.
“If we had the option to stay in our own country we wouldn’t have come here but my dad was killed in Somali.
“And my mum is there, my brother is there. If I could go back there I would love to but I can’t.”
Advocates criticise inconsistency
The Refugee Action Coalition said thousands of refugees have been left behind by the government’s policy.
Spokesman Ian Rintoul said the approach lacked justice.
“They arrived in Australia after July 13, 2013, and were arbitrarily selected, sometimes separated from families on the same boat, to be sent offshore,” Mr Rintoul said.
“The group [that was] not selected for offshore are now eligible for permanent visas, but there’s no justice in that.
“It’s another group Labor is leaving behind.
“Afghan refugees were denied protection because they were told it was safe to return to Kabul, Tamils were told they faced persecution in Sri Lanka but could nevertheless go to Colombo.”
The government said people who illegally arrived in Australia by boat had zero chance of settling in Australia under Operation Sovereign Boarders.
Both the immigration and home affairs ministers were contacted for comment but did not respond to the ABC’s questions about the issue.