The Community Support Program (CSP) is an Australian Government humanitarian initiative that allows community organisations, employers, and individuals — working through an Approved Proposing Organisation (APO) — to help persons in humanitarian need start a new life in Australia. CSP places come from within the annual Australian Humanitarian Program allocation. Unlike the government-funded Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) — which places refugees regardless of employment prospects — the CSP specifically targets refugees who are employable and have support networks and employer connections in Australia that will help them become financially self-sufficient within 12 months of arrival. The CSP is not a private refugee pathway in the same sense as Canada's Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program — it operates through APOs rather than directly through community sponsors, and has specific employability criteria.

For current program status, the list of approved APOs, and application requirements, refer to the DHA Community Support Program page.

• Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994 — Humanitarian visa subclasses — CSP applicants are assessed under relevant offshore humanitarian visa criteria (typically subclass 202 Global Special Humanitarian)
• DHA: Community Support Program — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/csp
• DHA: Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Program (CRISP) — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/crisp
• DHA: Community sponsorship reforms — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/community-sponsorship-reforms

The role of Approved Proposing Organisations (APOs)

The CSP operates through Approved Proposing Organisations (APOs) — organisations approved by DHA to act as the formal proposing entity for CSP applications. APOs:

• Act as the bridge between community sponsors/employers and DHA
• Assess and vet proposed refugee cases before lodging applications with DHA
• Provide oversight and support during the settlement period
• Are responsible for ensuring their community partners and employer partners can genuinely support the refugees they are sponsoring
• Must be registered with DHA — the list of current APOs is published on the DHA APO list page

Individuals or employers who want to sponsor a refugee through the CSP must work through an APO — they cannot apply directly to DHA. Finding a suitable APO and working with them to assess whether the proposed refugee case meets CSP criteria is the first step in the process.

Who the CSP targets — the employability requirement

The CSP specifically targets refugees who are:

• Employable — they have work-ready skills, trades, or professional qualifications that can be applied in the Australian labour market
• Connected — they have family members, community connections, or employer sponsors in Australia who are willing and able to support their resettlement
• Able to become self-sufficient within 12 months — the program model assumes that, with community and employer support, the refugee can transition from the initial support period to financial independence within the first year

This focus on employability distinguishes the CSP from the broader Humanitarian Settlement Program — the HSP provides government-funded support to all humanitarian entrants regardless of employment prospects. The CSP places are effectively "employer/community-backed" slots within the humanitarian allocation.

The sponsor group's commitments

The sponsor group (the APO's community or employer partners) commits to:

• Providing or assisting with initial housing for the refugee and their family upon arrival
• Financial support during the initial settlement period
• Assistance with English language learning and cultural orientation
• Employment connections — for employer-sponsored cases, the employer typically has a job offer for the refugee
• Ongoing community integration support

The APO monitors the sponsor group's fulfilment of these commitments during the settlement period.

CSP within the Humanitarian Program allocation

CSP places come from within Australia's annual Humanitarian Program allocation — in recent years, the total program has been approximately 20,000 places per year. CSP places are counted within this total, meaning they are not additional to the overall humanitarian intake. The annual number of CSP places is determined as part of the Humanitarian Program planning. For the current year's allocation, refer to the DHA Humanitarian Program page.

Current program status — pause on new EOIs

As of 2026, APOs have been asked by DHA to pause accepting new Expressions of Interest from community sponsors and employers for new CSP cases. This pause reflects the size of the existing CSP caseload and lengthy processing times — DHA needs to work through the existing pipeline before new cases are accepted. For current program status and whether APOs are open to new cases, refer to the DHA CSP page.

The Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP)

A related but distinct program is the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP), which is transitioning to a permanent program in 2026–27. CRISP is a community co-sponsorship model where community groups pair with refugees to provide settlement support — it is more focused on community integration than on employment readiness specifically. In 2026–27, the permanent CRISP program will support approximately 200 refugees within the humanitarian program allocation. For current CRISP information, refer to the DHA CRISP page.

The CSP represents an important but often misunderstood element of the Australian humanitarian system — it allows community engagement in refugee resettlement but within a structure that requires APO involvement and has a clear employability focus. The program is not a pathway for sponsoring any refugee in need; it specifically targets those who have employer or community connections in Australia and who can transition quickly to self-sufficiency. The current pause on new EOIs reflects processing capacity constraints — community sponsors interested in participating should check with APOs on current intake status. For the current APO list, application process, and the program's current status, refer to the DHA Community Support Program page.