AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Australia Supports Family Violence Victims on Partner Visas

Tuesday, 19 June 2012

The Australian government on June 17, 2012 announced new measures which will be implemented from November 24, 2012 to help victims of family violence on provisional partner visas.

In a joint announcement with the Minister for the Status of Women Julie Collins MP, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Chris Bowen MP stated that the new measures were aimed at improving the assessment of family violence under migration law and provide for a wider range of evidence to support claims. To achieve that goal, the federal government will streamline the evidence requirements for a visa on the basis of family violence.

Some victims may have difficulties in obtaining statutory declarations with a set of technical requirements under the current process.

"In some cases, people who have suffered family violence will have already come into contact with a range of service providers or government agencies and records of this will exist. It is both fair and sensible to allow them to provide these documents instead," said Minister Bowen.

The new measures are scheduled to be implemented on November 24, 2012. In the interim, policy guidelines will be updated on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) website to confirm that any evidence provided by applicants in addition to the required statutory declarations would be considered.

To ensure the integrity of assessments, applicants will still need to provide a minimum standard of evidence. "DIAC will consult with a range of organisations who work with victims of family violence to develop an appropriate list of acceptable evidence," Mr Bowen stated.

"These measures will make a real difference to the lives of women on temporary visas who have experienced the trauma of family violence", said Minister Collins.