Subclass 204 — Woman at Risk Visa — Australia — immi.wiki

The Subclass 204 Woman at Risk visa is an offshore permanent humanitarian visa for women who are outside their home country, are not adequately protected, and face particular vulnerability as women — including through family violence, sexual exploitation, or the absence of a male head of household for cultural protection in the country where they are located. Dependent children may be included in the application.

The Subclass 204 is part of the Refugee category within Australia's Humanitarian Programme, alongside Subclasses 200, 201, and 203. It recognises that women in certain situations face heightened vulnerability that may not easily be captured by the standard refugee framework under the 1951 Refugee Convention, and creates a dedicated pathway to address that gap.

Most Subclass 204 visas are granted through UNHCR referrals under the Woman at Risk submission category, or through a proposal by a close family member already in Australia. Australia's Humanitarian Programme has 20,000 places for 2025–26 across all offshore humanitarian subclasses.

Core eligibility criteria (Subclass 204 — Woman at Risk):

• The applicant must be a woman
• The applicant must be outside Australia and outside her country of nationality (or country of former habitual residence) at the time of application and grant
• The applicant must not be living with a male person aged 18 years or over, and must not have a male relative residing in the same locality who can provide cultural protection — this criterion reflects the particular vulnerability associated with the absence of the customary protection mechanisms in the relevant cultural context
• The applicant must be in particularly vulnerable circumstances and not adequately protected in the country where she is located
• The applicant must be either:
  • Referred to Australia by the UNHCR under the Woman at Risk referral category, or
  • Proposed by a close family member in Australia (who may themselves be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible humanitarian entrant)
• Dependent children may be included in the application as secondary applicants
• Health and character requirements apply to the primary applicant and all secondary applicants

Relationship to the Subclass 200: A woman who holds formal UNHCR refugee status may be assessed as a Subclass 200 holder. The Subclass 204 is intended for women whose vulnerability is not fully captured by the refugee definition but who nonetheless face serious humanitarian need. In practice, some applicants may satisfy both the Subclass 200 and the Subclass 204 criteria — where applicable, the Department assesses the most appropriate subclass.

The Subclass 204 is applied for using Form 842 (Application for an Offshore Humanitarian Visa). A single Form 842 application covers all five offshore refugee and humanitarian visa subclasses (200, 201, 202, 203, 204) — if the applicant satisfies the criteria for one subclass, a visa is granted in that subclass.

Where the application is made through a close family member in Australia rather than through UNHCR referral, the proposer must also complete Form 681 (Refugee and Special Humanitarian Proposal) to provide information about the relationship between the proposer and the applicant and the nature of the applicant's humanitarian circumstances. There is no fee for Form 681.

The Department of Home Affairs assesses the case against the eligibility criteria, including health and character requirements. For current processing times and application information, refer to the DHA Refugee category visa page.

The Subclass 204 is a permanent visa. Holders become permanent residents of Australia on grant and have:

• Unlimited work and study rights from the date of grant
• Access to Medicare (public health insurance) from arrival
• Access to the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) on arrival, which provides initial orientation, housing assistance, and referrals to employment, education, and community services. Priority case management is typically provided given the vulnerability profile of Subclass 204 holders
• A 5-year travel facility from the date of grant
• A pathway to Australian citizenship after meeting the residence requirements under the Australian Citizenship Act 2007

5-year sponsorship restriction: A person granted the Subclass 204 visa is generally not eligible to propose or sponsor a spouse or de facto partner under the Humanitarian Programme (Subclass 202 or 204) or the family stream (Subclasses 309 or 820) for a period of 5 years after the Subclass 204 visa is granted. This restriction reflects the design of the Subclass 204 as a visa for women without a male partner, and is intended to prevent abuse of the category. The restriction applies only to sponsoring a partner — Subclass 204 holders may still sponsor other family members through other appropriate pathways after the 5-year period.