End to TPV/SHEV visa regime

13 February 2023

We are so relieved to learn that 19000 people in Australia can finally have permanency in their lives. For years we’ve seen the amount of trauma this was causing to the community. But something else is worth pointing out.

The international data suggests that between 3 and 6% of refugees are LGBTIQ+ people. This means that there are a min of 570 to somewhere around 1140 LGBTIQ+ people in Australia who were also stuck on TPV/SHEVs.

We have always known this. We have always known the pain of LGBTIQ+ people coming to an end of their 3-year TPV and being forced to prove they’d still be persecuted for who they love and who they are. It’s so common for people assume that if you are an LGBTIQ+ refugee in (so called) Australia it is the safe haven. Little they know the impact of this uncertainty and the deafening silence around these experiences.

TPV/SHEVs should have never been established. However, despite the great uncertainty for all we know that LGBTIQ+ people had much less support. Many choose between being out and community support. Many are still hunted down by their families (who care more for their ‘honour’ than their children). Many are isolated without any community support.

Yet not a single time we have heard from the refugee sector this acknowledgement or a nuanced conversation of how damaging the TPV regime was for all, specifically mentioning different groups. Being LGBTIQ+ is inherent to one’s self. Seeing yourself represented is one of the aspects of having a positive settlement experience. But often this is still not the case.