Safe Haven Enterprise visa

• live, work and study in Australia temporarily for 5 years
• access government services such as Workforce Australia, Medicare and Centrelink services
• access short-term counselling for torture and trauma when required
• attend English language classes for free if you are eligible
• travel overseas to countries other than your home country if you obtain our written approval to travel due to compassionate or compelling circumstances

This is a temporary visa. It lets you stay in Australia for 5 years.

If we grant you this visa on or after 14 February 2023, you must apply for subsequent Safe Haven Enterprise visa (SHEV) or a Temporary Protection visa (TPV) before your current SHEV expires, if you still need Australia's protection and are not subject to any application bars.

SHEV and TPV holders and former holders who arrived in Australia before 14 February 2023 may be eligible to apply for a permanent Resolution of Status (RoS) visa (subclass 851).

You, and any members of your family unit included in your application, must be in Australia when you apply for this visa.

Members of the same family unit may apply together on the same application. They must:

• be in Australia at the time of application
• be eligible to apply for this visa

Members of the same family unit are:

• spouse or de facto partner of the family head
• dependent child or step-child of the family head
• dependent child or step-child of the family head’s partner
• other dependent relatives of the family head

The family head can be you. It can also be someone else in your family who has not applied for this visa.

A dependent child is a child or step-child who is under 18 years old. A dependent child can be 18 years old or older if they are:

• incapacitated for work due to loss of their bodily or mental functions; or
• wholly or substantially reliant on their parent or step-parent for financial, psychological or physical support

A child or step-child of any age is not considered to be a dependent child if they are currently married, engaged to be married or in a de facto relationship.

Children who are not dependent children must apply for their own visa.

Other dependent relatives may include relatives such as the family head’s:

• parent
• brother/sister
• grandparent/grandchild
• aunt/uncle
• cousin
• niece/nephew
• or step equivalent to any of the above

A relative will be considered a dependent relative of the family head if they:

• do not have a spouse or de facto partner
• usually lives with the family head; and
• are wholly or substantially reliant on the family head for financial, psychological or physical support

Members of the same family unit applying for this visa must meet our health, character and security requirements.

Newborn child

If a child is born after you submit your application and before we make a decision on your application, the child will be taken to be included in that application. You must tell us as soon as possible by:

• completing Form 1022 Notification of change of circumstances
• providing a clear colour copy of their original birth certificate
• attaching them in ImmiAccount or sending them by post to the address where you sent your application (you will need to send a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate if you send it by post)

If your child is born in Australia, they are automatically granted the same visas their parents hold at the time of the child’s birth.

If either parent is an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident at the time of the child’s birth, the child may be an Australian citizen by birth See the requirements for evidence of Australian citizenship.

We aim to finalise SHEV applications as quickly as possible. This is a very complex process and will take some time. You can help by responding to any of our requests in the specified timeframes.

Your application can take longer to process if:

• you do not fill in your application correctly
• you do not include all the documents we need
• we need more information from you
• you do not respond to requests for information quickly
• it takes us time to verify your information

Review rights

If your SHEV application is refused, you can apply for merits review by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART).

If we refuse your SHEV application, your refusal letter will provide further information about your review rights, including timeframes to apply for review.

You and the members of your same family unit included in your application must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.

See which conditions apply to this visa

Waiting for your SHEV application to be decided

If you leave Australia before we decide your SHEV application, your bridging visa will expire and you will not be allowed to re-enter Australia.

If you hold a SHEV

If we have granted you a SHEV, visa condition 8570 (Restricted travel) applies to your visa.

Visa condition 8570 (Restricted travel)

Visa condition 8570 (Restricted travel) restricts your right to travel. You can't travel to your home country under any circumstances and you can only enter any other country if you have compassionate or compelling reasons for travel and we have given you written approval to travel before you leave Australia.

If you travel overseas without the Department’s written approval, you will breach visa condition 8570, and we may cancel your visa (and the visas of members of your family unit) while you are offshore.

For more information, see Leaving Australia.

We will digitally link your visa to your travel document or ImmiCard. You will not get a label in your travel document.

If you hold a bridging visa and withdraw your SHEV application before we make a decision, you may be prevented from applying for a SHEV or a Temporary Protection visa, and your bridging visa will expire 35 days after you withdraw your application.

You may withdraw your SHEV application in writing at any time before we make our decision.

Your request must include:

• your full name
• date of birth
• details of the application you are withdrawing

Any additional applicants who are 18 years of age or older must sign the letter of withdrawal or send a separate email or letter withdrawing their application.

If you entered Australia without a valid visa or were not immigration cleared on arrival, you may only be eligible to apply for a Temporary Protection visa (TPV) or a Safe Haven Enterprise visa (SHEV). You cannot apply for a permanent Protection visa (subclass 866).

To apply for a Safe Haven Enterprise visa, you must:

• be unable to make a valid application for a permanent Protection visa (subclass 866) and
• be an unauthorised maritime arrival, or
• have not been immigration cleared at Australia's border when you last entered Australia, or
• have entered Australia without a valid visa, or
• hold or have held one of the following visas:
  • Temporary Protection visa (subclass 785)
  • Temporary Safe Haven visa (subclass 449)
  • Temporary (Humanitarian Concern) visa (subclass 786), or
  • Safe Haven Enterprise visa (subclass 790)

As defined by the Migration Act 1958 (Migration Act) you must:

• be a refugee or
• meet the complementary protection criteria

Australia must not return people to their home country where there is a risk that the person may suffer harm because they engage Australia's protection obligations.

You may be required to provide documents as evidence of your identity, nationality or citizenship with your application. It is your responsibility to cooperate and provide this evidence so we can complete identity checks.

We may ask you to provide biometrics (a scan of your fingerprints and a digital photograph of your face) as part of your application, if you have not provided them to us before.

We will use the information collected about your identity when assessing your claims for protection and completing character and security checks.

You may not be able to make a valid Safe Haven Enterprise (SHEV) visa application if you:

• are an unauthorised maritime arrival, or
• were immigration cleared when you arrived in Australia, or
• have been refused a protection visa since your last arrival to Australia, or
• have had a protection visa cancelled since your last arrival to Australia, or
• hold or held a Humanitarian Stay (Temporary)(subclass 449) visa since last entering Australia, or
• are a transitory person

The Minister has the power to lift any application bar if it is determined to be in the public interest, and may have already lifted any relevant application bar(s) in your case.

We will let you know if an application bar affects your SHEV application.

As part of the application process, we will assess whether you meet Australia’s security requirements for the grant of a SHEV.

You must undergo health examinations. This will protect your health and the health of the Australian community.

These examinations are conducted by Bupa Medical Visa Services.

You will receive a health identifier (HAP ID) and information about how to arrange your health examinations after you have lodged your visa application.

You must meet certain character requirements.

If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:

• have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia booklet and
• confirm you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws when you sign or accept the Australian Values Statement.

You can:

• live, work and study in Australia temporarily for 5 years
• access government services such as Workforce Australia, Centrelink and Medicare and short-term counselling for torture and trauma when required
• travel overseas to countries other than your home country if we give you written approval to travel on compassionate or compelling grounds
• attend English language classes for free if you are eligible

Your visa will come with conditions attached to it. To see your conditions use VEVO.

What you must do on this visa

You and your family members must obey all Australian laws.

Tell us if things change

Things you need to let us know about when you have this visa:

• changes to your name, phone number, email, address or passport
• changes to your marital or de facto status
• the birth of a child
• death in your family

See what to do if your situation changes.

Visa details

To prove you have a visa and show your conditions to someone, use VEVO.

ImmiCard

You and your eligible family members can obtain an ImmiCard.

An ImmiCard is an official, secure immigration credential that contains a photograph and personal details such as family name, given names, date of birth and gender.

ImmiCards also have a unique number that is linked to biometric and visa details in our system.

Working on your visa

To see your conditions for work, use VEVO.

You are protected by Australian workplace law. See your workplace rights and entitlements.

Bringing family

You can't sponsor family members for a visa through the Australian Humanitarian or Family Migration Programs while you hold a Safe Haven Enterprise visa.

Becoming an Australian citizen

You are not eligible to apply for Australian citizenship while you hold a Safe Haven Enterprise visa.

Applying for a subsequent SHEV or TPV

SHEVs are temporary visas and cease 5 years after date of grant.

If you are a SHEV holder and you arrived in Australia on or after 14 February 2023, you must apply for a subsequent TPV or SHEV before your current SHEV expires in order to stay in Australia and remain lawful, if you still need Australia's protection.

If you currently hold or formerly held a TPV or SHEV and you arrived in Australia before 14 February 2023 you may be eligible to apply for a permanent Resolution of Status (subclass 851) visa instead of a subsequent TPV or SHEV.

Make sure you keep your contact details with the Department updated so that you receive the bar lift notice. For more information, see: Your personal details have changed.

You must apply after we notify you and before your visa expires, or you will become unlawful and be barred from applying for a subsequent visa.

If you make a valid application for either a subsequent SHEV, TPV or a Resolution of Status visa while you still hold your SHEV, your SHEV will remain in effect until we make a decision on your application:

• Your work and study rights will continue while you wait for a decision on your subsequent application
• Your eligibility for Medicare and Centrelink will continue, but you will need to renew your Medicare card.

Update your contact details

Make sure that you give us your current contact details, so you can receive the bar lift letter and the mobile and email reminders. It is your responsibility as a visa holder to let us know within 28 days if you change your address and to keep your contact details up to date.

See how you can let us know your personal details have changed.

After bar lift notification, we recommend you apply for a subsequent visa at least 3 months before your current SHEV ceases.

To see when your visa expires, use VEVO.

If your visa has expired

To see if your SHEV has expired already, use VEVO.

If your SHEV has already expired, and you have not applied for a subsequent SHEV or TPV, you:

• are unlawful and must make arrangements to depart Australia
• may be barred from re-applying for a SHEV or TPV

If your SHEV has already expired and you are unlawful, see My visa is about to expire or has expired or contact the Status Resolution Service by calling 1300 853 773.

If you need interpreting assistance, call 131 450.

Australian Government services

You may be able to access a range of services offered by the Australian Government such as Workforce Australia, Centrelink, Medicare and short-term counselling for torture or trauma where required. Services Australia delivers a range of social and health-related payments and services.

For more information about the range of services that may be available to you and your eligibility to access them go to Services Australia .

Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minor program

If you are an unaccompanied humanitarian minor, you can get support through the Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minors program.

Australian Taxation Office

To receive an income in Australia, you need a Tax File Number (TFN). Income includes wages or salary from a job, government payments and income from investments. For more information or to apply for a TFN online, go to the Australian Taxation Office .

Information pack on domestic and family violence, sexual assault and forced marriage

The Australian Government has developed a family safety pack with information on Australia’s laws regarding domestic and family violence, sexual assault and forced marriage. The family safety pack also includes important information about essential services and emergency contacts in Australia.

Before you leave

Check your travel documents

Check your visa travel facility in VEVO.

As a SHEV holder, you can travel overseas on your visa. However, you must:

• seek our written approval under Travel Condition 8570 before you travel
• not enter your home country or use your home country passport to travel
• get a travel document from the Australian Passport Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
• check that your DFAT travel document allows you to enter the country you want to visit
• update your travel document details with us if you get a new travel document
• ensure that your visa is in effect for the entire time you are outside Australia. If you are overseas and your SHEV expires, you will not be able to return to Australia or apply for another SHEV or TPV.

You should not use the passport or travel document issued to you by your country of nationality. If you do so, we may consider that you no longer need Australia's protection and we may cancel your visa.

TPV and SHEV holders are eligible to apply for a travel document issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Contact any Australian Passport Office in DFAT to apply for a Convention Travel Document or a Certificate of Identity .

Obtain our written approval to travel overseas before leaving

Under Visa condition 8570 (Restricted Travel) you can't travel to your home country under any circumstances and you can only enter any other country if you have compassionate or compelling reasons for travel and we have given you written approval to travel before you leave Australia.

If you travel overseas without our written approval, you will breach visa condition 8570. As a result, we may cancel your visa (and the visas of members of your same family unit) while you are offshore.

If you enter the country from which we granted you protection, even for a short time, you will breach visa condition 8570. As a result, we may cancel your visa (and the visas of members of your same family unit).

Before you travel, complete Form 1454 Request for approval to travel under condition 8570 and email it to travel.request@homeaffairs.gov.au. You must have compassionate or compelling circumstances justifying your travel.

Consular assistance may not be available while overseas

We would normally facilitate re-entry to Australia for visa holders who have valid travel documents issued by the Australian Passport Office, such as a Convention Travel Document (also known as a Titre de Voyage).

If you travel overseas, with or without obtaining approval to travel, you do so at your own risk. Consular assistance is only available to Australian citizens, and only to permanent residents in crisis situations.

At the border

Leaving the airport faster

We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You could leave the airport faster if you use SmartGate.