GMH Legal recently acted for a Syrian National in an application for a Global Special Humanitarian Visa (Subclass 201) lodged through the Community Proposal Pilot and had the matter approved in principle in a record of time of only one month, with a further 3 months being taken for health and character checks before the matter was approved in full.

Community Proposal Pilot

The Community Proposal Pilot is a program of up to 500 visa places under Australia’s Humanitarian Program. It allows approved ‘proposing organisations’ to propose someone in a humanitarian situation outside of Australia for a Refugee and Humanitarian visa.

GMH Legal has an ongoing working relationship with several these organisations who have provided us with placements to use to nominate people for offshore humanitarian visas

Global Special Humanitarian Visa

The Global Special Humanitarian Visa is for people living outside of their home country, who are subject to substantial discrimination amounting to a gross violation of their human rights in their home country, and are proposed by a person or organisation in Australia. This is a permanent residence visa that allows the visa holder to live and work in Australia indefinitely, with all the benefits, such as Medicare and Social Security.

Case Study

Our client, who is now happily residing in Australia, was from Rabah in the Homs Governorate of Syria.

He was driving his truck carrying fruit and vegetables to a market when he was stopped at a checkpoint by government officials. The government officials demanded that our client hand over the keys to his truck so they could use it for government business, as well as demanding that he hand over his identification documents.

After much protesting, our client handed over the keys and his identification documents. The government officials then draped each side of his truck with Syrian Army flags and left, telling our client to remain at the checkpoint and wait for their return.

When the army officials arrived back at the checkpoint some 6 hours later, our client was shocked to see that his truck had been collided into on its right hand side and was covered in dirt and scratches. After a heated exchange with the army officials, our client was informed that the government officials had been in an altercation with members of the Free Syria Army Rebels, and furthermore, they had lost his identification documents during the altercation.

A few days later, when our client was driving his truck to the markets, a car came from behind him driven by members of the Free Syria Army. The Rebels drove right up next to him and yelled at him to stop his truck, and yelled out that they knew where he lived. Our client eventually managed to escape the Rebels, though this would not be the last time they would try to attack him.

A few days later, the Rebels came to our clients home, smashed through his front door and confronted him, insisting that he had been helping the government in their fight against them and that he give them 3 million pounds or they would kill him. Later, our client found a message spray painted on his truck saying “your money or your life”.

The same men came back to his house the next day and threatened him again, shooting bullets into the air and telling our client they would kill him if he did not produce the money they demanded. The same night our client persecutors came back to his home and set his shed alight, which contained all his work materials.

The next day, the assailants came to our client’s house again and beat him, threatening him again that if he did not hand over the money they had demanded they would kill him.

After his persecutors had left, our client organized for his friend to pick him up and urgently take him to the Lebanese border as he was fearful that he would be killed if he remained in Syria.

After he had reached Lebanon, our clients cousin in Australia contacted us for help. We advised our client to immediately register with the UNHCR while we started putting together his application for a Global Special Humanitarian (Subclass 201) Visa.

Following extensive meetings with our client via phone and Skype, we had his application ready to submit within one week. We handled his case in a way that ensured that he had to spend the least amount of time possible in Lebanon and was granted a visa to come to Australia permanently as soon as possible.

Contact us for a Free Assessment

If you know of a relative or friend who had been displaced from their home county due to persecution they have suffered, call one of our experienced Immigration lawyers during business hours to organise a free consultation for a Global Special Humanitarian Visa.

Tel: (02) 9587 0458
Email: solicitors@gmhlegal.com

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