The Global Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 202): proposers, priority groups and what to expect

MARN 1576536 · Checked against Home Affairs on 8 November 2026

Who the visa is for

The applicant must be living outside Australia and outside their country of origin, and be subject to substantial discrimination in their home country amounting to a gross violation of their human rights. Alternatively, the applicant can be a member of the immediate family of someone granted a 202 in the last five years, living outside Australia, with that person as proposer. Applicants and family members applying with them must meet the health and character requirements; the health requirement can be waived in compassionate and compelling circumstances.

The proposer

Every 202 needs a proposer in Australia: an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, an eligible New Zealand citizen, or an organisation in Australia. The proposer takes on responsibilities for helping the person settle, and travel costs fall on the applicant or proposer. Under the Migration Regulations, a person who arrived in Australia as an unauthorised maritime arrival on or after 13 August 2012 cannot propose family members under the Humanitarian Program.

Priority groups

Home Affairs processes applications under the Special Humanitarian Program in order of priority group, so the proposer's relationship and visa history largely decide the outlook:

1. The proposer is an immediate family member (partner, dependent child, or the parent of a proposer under 18) who was granted a Class XB visa or is a citizen who held a Protection or Resolution of Status visa, and the split-family criteria are met: the applicant was immediate family when the proposer's visa was granted, was declared before it was granted, and is proposed within five years of the grant.
2. The split-family criteria are not met, and the proposer is a close family member (partner, child, parent or sibling) who does not hold a Protection or Resolution of Status visa.
3. The proposer is an extended family member (grandparent, grandchild, cousin, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew) without a Protection or Resolution of Status visa.
4. The proposer is a distant relative, friend or community organisation without a Protection or Resolution of Status visa.
5. The proposer holds a Protection or Resolution of Status visa.

Home Affairs is direct about the odds: it receives more applications each year than there are visas, the decision may take many years, and most applications will be unsuccessful. For a partner or child, a family stream visa may be worth comparing, and Home Affairs says women granted a visa because of their vulnerability should use the family stream to sponsor a spouse.

Family

The application can include a partner, dependent children, the partner's dependent children, and other dependent relatives such as parents, siblings, grandparents or cousins, and certain family members can be added before the decision. Every family member must be declared, including those not coming: an undeclared family member may not be able to be proposed for a humanitarian visa later. Children who are not dependent must apply separately.

Applying

Since 1 July 2025, proposals and Refugee and Humanitarian visa applications are made in ImmiAccount. The proposer completes the proposal first, and the transaction reference number (TRN) it produces must be used within 60 days to lodge the visa application. The applicant must be outside Australia and outside their country of origin when applying. There is no visa application charge unless the applicant is proposed under the Community Support Program by an Approved Proposing Organisation. Home Affairs does not give processing updates, but tells applicants when the application moves to the next stage or is finalised.

After grant

The 202 is permanent: the holder becomes a permanent resident on first entering Australia, can work and study, enrol in Medicare, travel for five years, attend free English classes through the Adult Migrant English Program, propose family for permanent residence, and later apply for citizenship if eligible. The Department's assisted passage provider can help with flights, exit permits and the ImmiCard travel document, and the Department invites travellers to the Australian Cultural Orientation program before departure.

Check the proposal before you lodge

A consultation checks the proposer and applicant against the criteria, works out the likely priority group, and compares the 202 with any family stream visa that could apply.

Book a consultation — A$330 inc. GST, credited

General information only, current at 8 November 2026; not advice on your own case. Department of Home Affairs, Global Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 202). Outcomes depend on the Department’s assessment of each application; no registered migration agent can guarantee a result (Code of Conduct, Migration Agents Regulations). Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536.