Who qualifies for the Global Special Humanitarian visa (Subclass 202) in 2026?
According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official page for the Global Special Humanitarian visa (Subclass 202), as of August 2026, there are two ways to qualify. Under the first, you are living outside Australia and outside your country of origin, you are subject to substantial discrimination in your home country that amounts to a gross violation of your human rights, and you have a proposer in Australia. Under the second, you are living outside Australia, you are a member of the immediate family of a person who was granted this visa in the last five years, and that person is your proposer. Both lead to permanent residence, but this article only describes how the criteria are framed — it is general information, not advice on your own circumstances, which should be confirmed against official information or with a qualified professional.
What are the two entry routes, side by side?
The Department presents eligibility as two alternatives, not one cumulative checklist. Both end at the same place — a permanent visa — but they ask you to prove different things.
| Discrimination route | Immediate-family route | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you must be living | Outside Australia and outside your country of origin | Outside Australia |
| What you must show | Substantial discrimination in your home country, amounting to a gross violation of your human rights | You are a member of the immediate family of a person who was granted this visa in the last five years |
| Who must propose you | An eligible proposer in Australia | That family member — they must be your proposer |
Both routes require you to be outside Australia. The discrimination route adds the requirement that you are living outside your country of origin; the family route is listed on the official page as requiring only that you are living outside Australia. Separately, the Department's "apply from" rule states that applicants must be outside Australia and outside their country of origin when they apply, so read the country-of-origin condition as applying to the application as a whole.
I have already left my country of origin — is that enough?
It is necessary, not sufficient. Leaving your country of origin satisfies one element of the discrimination route, but that route still requires you to show substantial discrimination reaching the level of a gross violation of human rights, to be outside Australia at the same time, and to have a proposer. If you are currently inside Australia, you do not meet the criteria for this visa.
How high is the "substantial discrimination" bar?
The official page requires that you are subject to substantial discrimination in your home country and that the discrimination would amount to a gross violation of your human rights there. The Migration Regulations 1994 use the same formulation — discrimination "amounting to gross violation of human rights." This is a deliberately high bar aimed at severe, rights-violating treatment, not at general inequality or economic hardship.
There is also a decision-stage layer. The regulations require the decision-maker to be satisfied that there are compelling reasons to give your case special consideration, weighing the degree of discrimination you face, the extent of your connection with Australia, whether another suitable country could offer you protection, and the capacity of the Australian community to settle you permanently. Because this test sits in the regulations rather than on the visa page, check its current wording against official sources.
Who can propose me?
You must be proposed by a person or organisation in Australia. Your proposer has to be one of the following:
- an Australian citizen
- an Australian permanent resident
- an eligible New Zealand citizen
- an organisation in Australia
On the immediate-family route, your proposer must be the family member who was granted the visa — you cannot substitute someone else. One restriction carries across the Humanitarian Program: a person who arrived in Australia as an unauthorised maritime arrival on or after 13 August 2012 cannot propose family members, in line with the Migration Regulations 1994. Proposers also take on responsibilities to help you settle, and the cost of travel to Australia falls on you or your proposer.
Can my family be included?
Yes, and this matters early rather than late. For this visa, your family means your partner, your dependent children, your partner's dependent children, and other relatives who depend on you — a parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or cousin. If your child is not dependent on you, they need to apply for their own visa.
Family members who apply with you must meet the health and character requirements, and family members who are not coming to Australia might still have to meet the health requirement. Declare every family member even if they are not applying with you: if you leave someone out, you may not be able to propose them for a Humanitarian visa after you arrive in Australia.
What else do I need to satisfy?
Beyond the route-specific criteria, the official page sets out requirements that apply to applicants generally.
- Health. You and any family members applying with you must meet the health requirement; family members who do not apply with you might also have to. It can be waived if you have compassionate and compelling circumstances.
- Character. You and any family members applying with you must meet the character requirement, with the same reach to family members who are not applying.
- Australian values. If you are 18 or over, you must sign or accept the Australian Values Statement, confirming you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
- Debt to the Australian Government. If you owe the Australian Government money, you must have repaid it or have a formal arrangement to repay it.
If I meet the criteria, will the visa be granted?
Meeting the criteria is the doorway, not the outcome. The Department states that each year it receives more applications for resettlement than there are visas available, that the decision process may take many years, and that most applications will be unsuccessful. Processing time is lengthy and varies with each applicant's circumstances.
Applications under the Special Humanitarian Program are processed in order of priority group. Family reunion cases are more likely to succeed when the proposer is an immediate or close family member, because those cases receive higher priority. The Australian Government has policy guiding which applications are prioritised, and because all humanitarian applicants are treated as being in similarly compelling circumstances, the Department is unable to expedite applications outside those priorities. It does not provide processing updates, but will tell applicants when their application reaches the next stage of processing or is finalised.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply if I am already in Australia?
No. Both routes require you to be living outside Australia, and the Department's "apply from" rule requires you to be outside Australia and outside your country of origin when you apply.
Do I need a proposer on both routes?
Yes — every applicant must be proposed by a person or organisation in Australia. On the immediate-family route, the proposer must be the family member who was granted the Subclass 202 visa.
Who counts as an immediate family member?
The eligibility section does not list every relationship, but the same official page, when describing priority groups, treats an immediate family member as a partner or dependent child — or the proposer's parent, where the proposer is under 18. Where your relationship sits is worth checking against the official page, because it affects both eligibility and priority.
How recent does my relative's visa grant need to be?
The person must have been granted the visa in the last five years. The Migration Regulations 1994 also tie the family route to an application made within five years of the original visa being granted, so treat the five-year limit as a strict element rather than a guide.
Does everyone in my family need to meet the health and character requirements?
Family members who apply with you must meet both requirements. Family members who are not applying with you might still have to meet the health requirement, and you should declare every family member regardless, because an undeclared family member may not be proposed for a Humanitarian visa later.
Is there a fee, and who pays for travel?
There is no visa application charge for this visa unless you are proposed under the Community Support Program by an Approved Proposing Organisation. The cost of travel to Australia is your responsibility or your proposer's.
How long will a decision take?
The Department says the decision process may take many years and that most applications are unsuccessful, because more applications are received each year than there are places available. It does not give processing updates, but will tell you when your application reaches the next stage or is finalised.