As If We Weren’t Humans – The Plight of Australia’s Temporary Visa Holders During the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Emma Carolan, CRA Justice Research Officer
As we reach the end of a challenging year, the COVID-19 pandemic has seen mixed reactions from the world’s governments to their migrant populations. At the start of the pandemic, the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) made a plea to governments:
“Everyone, including all migrants regardless of their migration status, must be taken into account as an integral part of any effective public health and recovery response to COVID-19. Including migrants in the response to this crisis is the only effective way to protect not only migrants’ rights, but also to avoid fuelling xenophobia and endangering the health of society as a whole.”
On 3 April 2020, shortly after introducing the JobKeeper and JobSeeker support packages from which temporary migrants were excluded, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced to any international student or Australian Visitor who could not support themselves during the COVID-19 Pandemic, “it is time to make your way home.” Refugees on permanent visas (granted under the offshore humanitarian program) or asylum seekers who have been granted permanent Protection visas, have been able to access the full range of government support packages. However, asylum seekers in community on Bridging visas, refugees who have been granted Temporary Protection visas, and other temporary visa holders including international students, Working Holiday Makers, Temporary Graduate visa holders and Temporary Skill Shortage visa holders, were all denied access to government support.
The report As if we weren’t humans: The abandonment of temporary migrants in Australia during COVID-19, published in September 2020 by the Migrant Worker Justice Initiative, gives a glimpse into the impact of Australia’s response to temporary migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report surveyed more than 6,100 of the approximately 2.17 million temporary visa holders across Australia.
As If We Weren’t Humans reports that those who did not leave Australia following the Prime Minister’s announcement, did so because of the investment they had made here in their studies, work and/or their future. Additionally, those seeking asylum await the processing of their claims for protection and so cannot return home. Others were caught out by the extent of the pandemic and found that flights were unavailable and/or unaffordable or that home country or transit countries’ borders were closed.
The impact of remaining has for some been devastating. Many surveyed reported a significant reduction of income from loss of job or reduced work hours, and/or reduced family support. A number reported taking part in exploitative work during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as being paid for work with food and housing rather than wages, experiencing a reduced hourly wage, performing unpaid work or undertaking tasks against their will.
This has resulted in an inability to obtain basic needs, with a number of responders stating that at some point since March, they had either faced the threat of or experienced homelessness, compounded by the fact that temporary migrants are not eligible for admission to many homeless shelters. Numerous respondents could not afford food for some period since March. Likewise, Food Bank Australia have found that demand for food relief has increased by 47% this year. Respondents also reported not being able to pay for heating, electricity or medical assistance for a period since March. All states and territories have not charged people without Medicare and/or insurance for testing and treatment of COVID-19 through public health systems. However, temporary visa holders are not eligible for Medicare rebates (unless covered by a Ministerial Order, or come from a country with which Australia shares a reciprocal Health Care Agreement), for any other form of medical treatment.
A third of all respondents had sought emergency assistance since March, with most of the aid given to international students from their tertiary institutions. Other sources of support for temporary migrants have included charities, The Red Cross, religious and cultural organisations and State Governments. The NSW Government, assisted by Multicultural NSW, for example announced a substantial $6 million in emergency relief support for temporary visa holders, including people seeking asylum. However, a third of responders stated that they did not access emergency support because of a misguided fear of it affecting their visa.
Some respondents reported an increase of verbal abuse and harassment in their home setting during the pandemic and 90 respondents had experienced physical violence. Experiences of racism were exacerbated during COVID-19, with almost a quarter of respondents experiencing racialised verbal abuse or feeling that people had avoided them because of their appearance.
The mental health of temporary visa holders has been negatively impacted by not only the stress of the pandemic, the isolation of lockdown periods, and worry for the wellbeing of those in their country of origin, but also the ongoing uncertainty around attaining basic needs and maintaining a visa. This has threatened a secondary mental health crisis, resultant from the humanitarian challenges faced.
Fatma, her partner and four children are in the process of seeking asylum, meaning that none of them were eligible for JobKeeper or JobSeeker. Both Fatma and her partner lost their jobs with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, leaving them struggling financially. They were interviewed by Refugee Council Australia. You can see more about their story here.
Further Resources:
The Australian Red Cross have put together fact sheets to aid temporary visa holders in finding out what support services they are eligible for. These can be found here and here.
The Ombudsmen have provided information on the legal framework for international students in Australia, and information on protecting their human, legal and consumer rights. This can be found here.