Australia Announces How Long Foreigners Can Live in the Country With its Protection Visa

• Australia's Department of Home Affairs clarified the terms of the Subclass 866 Protection Visa, which offers permanent residency to qualifying asylum seekers
• The visa applies strictly to foreigners who entered Australia on a valid visa and are physically present in the country when they apply
• Applicants must meet health, character, and security requirements, and the visa counts toward Australian citizenship eligibility

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Australia's Department of Home Affairs has published detailed guidelines on the Subclass 866 Protection Visa, spelling out who qualifies and what successful applicants receive in terms of the right to remain in the country.

Unlike temporary arrangements that come with an expiry date, the Subclass 866 is classified as a permanent visa.

Foreign nationals who receive approval can remain in Australia for as long as they choose, with no set end date attached to their residency rights.

Permanent residency begins on approval day

The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that permanent residency takes effect on the exact date the visa is granted.

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That date also serves as the reference point for citizenship applications, as candidates are required to meet minimum residency thresholds before they can submit a naturalisation claim.

This means the Protection Visa does more than simply allow someone to stay.

For those who eventually wish to become Australian citizens, the day their Subclass 866 is approved marks the formal start of that journey.

Who can and cannot apply

The onshore nature of the Subclass 866 is one of its defining features. Only foreign nationals who entered Australia lawfully and remained inside the country are eligible to lodge an application through this pathway.

The Department of Home Affairs has been explicit about who falls outside the scope of this visa.

Individuals who arrived in Australia by sea without authorisation, those who were not cleared by immigration upon their most recent entry, and anyone attempting to apply from outside the country's borders are all disqualified from this particular route.

Australia draws a firm distinction between this scheme and its offshore humanitarian programmes, which assess candidates before they set foot in the country.

For the Subclass 866, the government requires applicants to demonstrate that Australia has international protection obligations towards them under relevant conventions.

They must also clear all mandatory health, character, and national security checks before a decision is made.

The framework is designed to provide a structured, permanent solution for individuals who arrived through legitimate channels and subsequently found themselves in need of protection while already in Australia.

Australia names 11 countries accessing Medicare

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported earlier that Australia's government agency, Services Australia, had confirmed that 11 countries held Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with the country.

Citizens from the listed nations could receive assistance with the cost of medically necessary treatment during visits to Australia.

The Australian Government had also warned that these agreements should not replace comprehensive travel health insurance.

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Source: YEN.com.gh