The Global Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 202) is a permanent Australian visa that allows people who are outside Australia and who face substantial discrimination amounting to a gross violation of human rights in their home country to come to Australia permanently. Unlike the UNHCR-referred refugee category visas (subclasses 200, 201, 203, 204), the subclass 202 requires an Australian proposer — an Australian citizen, permanent resident, eligible New Zealand citizen, or Australian-based organisation who proposes the applicant and lodges a formal proposal with DHA. The subclass 202 is part of Australia's Special Humanitarian Program (SHP), which operates as a component of the annual Humanitarian Program. There is no application charge for the visa or the proposal. This page explains the eligibility criteria, the proposer and application process, and what the visa provides.

For current information on the subclass 202 and the Special Humanitarian Program, refer to the DHA subclass 202 visa page and the DHA SHP page.

• Migration Act 1958, s 36 and related provisions — protection obligations framework
• Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 2, subclass 202 — criteria for the Global Special Humanitarian visa
• 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol — Australia's international protection obligations underpin the humanitarian program
• DHA: Global Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 202) — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/subclass-202
• DHA: The Special Humanitarian Program — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/SHP
• DHA Form 681 — Refugee and Special Humanitarian Proposal form (completed by the proposer)
• DHA Form 842 — Application for an Offshore Humanitarian visa (completed by the applicant)

What the subclass 202 is for

The subclass 202 is designed for people who:

• Are outside Australia and outside their home country or are unable to return to their home country
• Are subject to substantial discrimination amounting to a gross violation of their human rights in their home country — this can include persecution by a government, serious discrimination based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion
• Are not yet formally recognised as refugees by UNHCR or have not been referred through the offshore refugee category program — the subclass 202 operates alongside the UNHCR-referred pathway, not instead of it

The key distinction from the refugee category visas (200/201/203/204) is that the subclass 202 requires a proposer in Australia — the applicant must have a connection to someone in Australia who is willing to formally propose them.

The proposer — who can propose

Every subclass 202 application must be accompanied by a proposal from a proposer. The proposer must be one of the following:

• An Australian citizen
• An Australian permanent resident
• An eligible New Zealand citizen (an NZ citizen who has been a permanent resident of Australia or who holds an SCV)
• An Australian-based organisation

In addition, any person who previously held a humanitarian or protection visa can propose, including:

• A former or current holder of a Global Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 202)
• A former or current holder of a refugee category visa (subclasses 200, 201, 203, or 204)
• A holder of a protection visa (subclass 866)
• A holder of a Resolution of Status visa (subclass 851)

The proposer is not a financial sponsor in the same way as in family migration — however, the proposer does indicate their commitment to assisting the proposed person to settle in Australia and takes on a role in the settlement process.

The application process

The proposal and application are made together:

1. The proposer completes Form 681 — Refugee and Special Humanitarian Proposal describing the applicant's situation and the proposer's relationship with them
2. The applicant completes Form 842 — Application for an Offshore Humanitarian Visa
3. Both forms are lodged together — the proposer lodges Form 681 and the application at the same time, attaching supporting evidence of the human rights situation and any relationship to the proposer
4. There is no application charge for either form

Applications are assessed by DHA against the subclass 202 criteria. The applicant must also meet health, character, and identity requirements.

Assessment — what DHA considers

DHA considers whether the applicant:

• Faces substantial discrimination amounting to a gross violation of human rights in the home country — general hardship or disadvantage does not meet this threshold; the situation must involve serious persecution or gross violations
• Has a genuine relationship with the proposer (or, for organisational proposals, the organisation's capacity to support the applicant's settlement)
• Meets the health requirement (medical examination by a panel physician)
• Meets the character requirement
• Can be identified — identity documents or other evidence must establish who the applicant is

Demand for places in the SHP significantly exceeds the number of places available in any given year. The allocation of places within the Humanitarian Program is determined each year as part of the annual Humanitarian Program planning — both the total size of the program and the split between refugee category and SHP places vary year to year.

What the visa provides

If granted, the subclass 202 is a permanent visa. Visa holders:

• Can live, work, and study in Australia permanently
• Can sponsor family members for offshore humanitarian visas in future
• Can access settlement services, including the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP)
• Can apply for Australian citizenship after meeting the residence requirements
• Can travel outside Australia and return on the visa (subject to the travel component of the visa and residency obligations)

For information on other offshore humanitarian visa categories (including UNHCR-referred refugee visas), see the offshore humanitarian visas page. For the community-based pathway, see the Community Support Program page.

The subclass 202 is the largest component of the Special Humanitarian Program numerically — many applicants come from communities with existing diaspora networks in Australia, and the proposer model is intended to leverage those community connections for settlement support. The threshold of "substantial discrimination amounting to a gross violation of human rights" is higher than general hardship — applicants who are experiencing economic disadvantage or general insecurity without targeted persecution will generally not meet the criteria. Wait times for subclass 202 applications can be long — the demand for SHP places consistently exceeds the allocated annual quota, and applications may wait years before a decision is made. For the current SHP quota allocation, the application form, and lodgement instructions, refer to the DHA subclass 202 page and the DHA SHP page.