The
Regional Office's Resettlement Role
Australia and New
Zealand have yearly refugee resettlement quotas of 6,000
and 750 places respectively. The UNHCR Regional
Office in Canberra works closely with these countries to determine
the composition of their quotas, to ensure that their resettlement
policies are consistent with UNHCR resettlement policy as contained
in the Resettlement
Handbook and to assist in the submission
(not decision to submit or accept) of resettlement cases.
Answers to frequently asked questions
When does UNHCR submit a Case
for Resettlement?
Who makes the decision to resettle a refugee?
What is the effect of offering to sponsor a family or friend
on the UNHCR decision to refer a case for resettlement?
What other resettlement programs/options exist?
I or my relatives have been asked to pay money for UNHCR resettlement
services.
I am a refugee in Australia/New Zealand and my spouse or minor
children are separated from me and in need of resettlement. What is the procedure to be reunited?
I am a refugee from outside the region, how do I become resettled
in Australia or New Zealand?
I live in Australia/New Zealand and would like to sponsor my
family/friend to be resettled in these countries. What can I do?
I am a refugee from outside the region and would like to be
resettled in Australia and or New Zealand. Can your office help?
I am a rejected asylum seeker in Australia/ New Zealand or
a recognised refugee in these countries and would like to be
resettled elsewhere. Can you help?
When
does UNHCR submit a Case for Resettlement?
Of the ten million
refugees that UNHCR is currently assisting worldwide less
than 1% can be referred for resettlement to
a third country due to the places available.
UNHCR will only
submit applications for resettlement to third countries on
behalf of individuals who are first determined
to be refugees within the meaning of the 1951 Convention
relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol and
who additionally face security issues in the country
of asylum which cannot
be solved locally. UNHCR also considers family reunification
and vulnerability (woman at risk, victims of torture) when
assessing a refugee’s need for resettlement.
With regard
to requests for resettlement solely on family reunification grounds,
only reunification of the immediate family is normally
promoted by UNHCR (i.e. spouses, minor or dependant unmarried
children, parents of minor children).
For further information
please refer to the UNHCR
Resettlement Handbook.
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Who makes
the decision to resettle a refugee?
The decision with regard
to eligibility for resettlement referral lies with the UNHCR
Office in the country of asylum,
not with
the Regional Office in Canberra. The Regional Office in Canberra
has no authority over that decision. If you have a relative or
friend in need of resettlement please advise them to contact
the local UNHCR Office. To email the relevant UNHCR office visit, click here or visit www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/contact
Once
the UNHCR office in the country of asylum decides that a
person is in need of resettlement in Australia or New Zealand,
the case is referred to the Australian Government via the local Australian Embassy
in the country of asylum or to the New Zealand Government via the Regional Office
in Canberra.
The Australian and New Zealand Governments
make the final decision on whether the refugee will be resettled
according
to their
criteria, not UNHCR. Further information on the Australian
criteria can be obtained from the DIMIA website. The New
Zealand Government generally follows the UNHCR criteria, outlined in the New Zealand chapter of the UNHCR Resettlement Handbook.
UNHCR
cannot guarantee that a resettlement referral will be accepted.
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What
is the effect of offering to sponsor a family or friend on
the UNHCR decision to refer a case for resettlement?
Sponsorship
by extended family members or a community organisation does
not affect the decision as to whether a refugee is referred
for resettlement by UNHCR.
However, once UNHCR identifies
a refugee to be in need of resettlement, the existence of
a sponsor may be a factor
in deciding where
to refer a case, for example in New Zealand or Australia
or elsewhere.
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What other resettlement programs/options
exist?
Although some persons may not merit resettlement
according to UNHCR Guidelines, they may be eligible for resettlement
consideration under other components of the Australian and
New Zealand humanitarian and migration programs.
Please directly
approach these Governments for advice.
The relevant websites
are: http://www.immi.gov.au/refugee/index.htm and
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/Migrant/
Stream/Live/FamilyQuota/.
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I
or my relatives have been asked to pay money for UNHCR resettlement
services.
All UNHCR resettlement services, information
and documents are free. If you have been asked to pay money
please
contact
the Inspector General’s Office.
The Inspector General’s office, which reports directory to the High Commissioner, is independent, accountable and appropriately empowered to investigate all reports of misconduct. The contact details for the Inspector
General Office in Geneva are:
Confidential fax: + 41-22-739-7380
E-mail : inspector@unhcr.org
Telephone hotline: +41-22-739-8844
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I am a refugee
in Australia/New Zealand and my spouse or minor children
are separated from me and in need of resettlement. What is the procedure to be reunited?
If they
have protection concerns in the country of asylum please
advise them to contact the local UNHCR Office
immediately.
If you are in Australia and a temporary
protection visa holder, whilst UNHCR promotes the reunification
of
immediate family
members, the final decision to resettle a refugee
is the voluntary act of individual governments. In Australia,
according to the
law, TPV holders are ineligible for resettlement
on
family reunification grounds. Please contact our office
if they
are facing forced return to their country of origin
or if your
minor children are unaccompanied.
If you are in Australia
and a permanent visa holder, please refer to the sponsorship
arrangements for
immediate family
at the DIMIA website.
If
you are in New Zealand, and a refugee please contact the
New Zealand Immigration
Service.
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I am a refugee from outside the region,
how do I become resettled in Australia or New Zealand?
You
need to contact your local UNHCR office in your country
of asylum. The decision with
regard
to eligibility
for
resettlement referral lies with the UNHCR
office in the country of asylum
and not with the UNHCR Office in Canberra.
The decision is
made according to the UNHCR criteria outlined above.
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I live in Australia/New Zealand
and would like to sponsor my family/friend to be
resettled in these
countries. What can I do?
Sponsorship does not affect
the decision as to whether a refugee is referred for
resettlement by UNHCR.
The decision to submit
a person for resettlement is made according
to
UNHCR Guidelines, which are briefly
explained above.
The decision to refer a case is made
by the UNHCR office in the country
of asylum
in
which your
friend/relative resides and not by
the UNHCR Office in Canberra.
For
the contact
details
of the relevant Office please see
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home.
Although
some persons may not merit resettlement according to UNHCR
Guidelines,
they may
be eligible for resettlement
consideration under other components
of the Australian and New Zealand
humanitarian and
migration programs.
Please directly approach these Governments
for advice.
The relevant websites are: http://www.immi.gov.au/refugee/index.htm and
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/Migrant/
Stream/Live/FamilyQuota/.
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I am a refugee from outside the
region and would like to be
resettled in
Australia and
or New
Zealand. Can your office help me?
You will need to contact
your local UNHCR office in your
country of
asylum and
not the UNHCR
Regional Office
in
Canberra. Eligibility
for UNHCR resettlement referral
lies with the UNHCR office
in the country
of asylum
and NOT with the
UNHCR Regional
Office in Canberra. Please
also note the UNHCR criteria
for resettlement
outlined above.
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I am a rejected
asylum seeker in Australia/ New Zealand
or a recognised
refugee
in these countries
and would
like to
be resettled elsewhere. Can you help?
According
to UNHCR's Resettlement Guidelines, UNHCR will
only submit applications
for resettlement to third
countries on
behalf of individuals
determined to be
refugees. If you have
been determined not to be a
refugee
by either
the
Australian
or New Zealand process
you are
not entitled to resettlement.
Even
if you have been recognized as a refugee in Australia
or New Zealand,
as both of
these countries
are signatories
to the 1951 Convention
relating to the Status
of Refugees and provide
effective protection
to
those granted
refugee status,
UNHCR
does not assist in
the resettlement of
refugees from Australia
or New Zealand to a
third country.
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Integration Handbook: Refugee Resettlement 