From the frying pan and into the fire: issues for temporary protection visa holders in Australia

De mal en peor: cuestiones sobre los beneficiarios de visado de protección temporal en Australia

Australia's response to the steady numbers of unauthorised boat arrivals from Central Asia and the Middle East has been to implement a series of measures to discourage and deter what was perceived as a growing trend. In October 1999, the Australian government introduced a new type of visa called Temporary Protection Visa (or TPV) for those people seeking asylum in Australia without valid entry documents or arriving by unauthorised means. Most of the holders of this type of visa, which allows for three years protection and limited access to services, spend several weeks or even months in immigration detention centres in Australia until their protection visas were granted. In addition to the restricted access to services, this group faces a ban on family reunion until they become eligible to apply for permanent residence.

The combined effect of pre-existing trauma in the context of war or organised violence, a harrowing journey, the impact of detention, and the additional burden placed by lack of access to some services, the prohibition on family reunion, and the uncertainty about their eventual residence status places this group at a higher risk of experiencing resettlement and mental health difficulties.

This paper briefly analyses the implications the policy of granting Temporary Protection Visa has at different levels for their holders and for health and resettlement services providers. It also outlines the needs and difficulties experienced by the TPV holders and the strategies and interventions developed by STARTTS to address some of the needs of this disadvantaged group of refugees.