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 (Class XB) visa.

These organisations would usually work with supporting community organisations to identify people to propose, support their visa application process, and if successful, help them to settle in Australia.

They are community organisations that we have invited to participate in the Community Proposer Pilot. They are:

• AMES (Victoria)
• Brotherhood of St Laurence (Victoria)
• Illawarra Multicultural Services (New South Wales)
• Liverpool Migrant Resource Centre (New South Wales).

The approved proposing organisations:

• Have entered into a Deed of Agreement with us
• Are responsible for lodging valid visa applications to propose humanitarian applicants
• Are responsible for settlement support for the people being proposed for up to 12 months after arriving in Australia
• Can work with a supporting community organisation with whom they have an agreement, to identify people to propose and to provide settlement support
• Are responsible for ensuring payment of costs related to the visa
• Are responsible for monitoring and reporting on the provision of support and settlement outcomes of the humanitarian entrants.

Approved proposing organisations must:

• Lodge the application forms (Forms842 (586 kB pdf) and1417 (409 kB pdf))
• Ensure the visa application charge is paid
• Pay for the medical examinations that are needed for the visa
• Arrange and pay for airfares to Australia if the visa is granted.

If we grant the visa, the approved proposing organisation must also support the people who were proposed for up to 12 months after they arrive in Australia. This means the approved proposing organisation must:

• Meet them at an Australian airport
• Provide on-arrival clothing and footwear if required
• Provide accommodation
• Provide basic household goods and food
• Refer any families with children to a school
• Refer them to Medicare, Centrelink and a bank
• Register them for a general health assessment
• Refer them for English language training
• Help them find a job and permanent housing
• Connect them to other community and government programs
• Provide orientation to their local community and educate them about the rights and responsibilities of Australian permanent residents, including residential and tenancy rights and responsibilities.

Supporting community organisations work with an approved proposing organisation to identify people who could apply for the visa and, if the visa is granted, help them settle in Australia.

The organisations work together under an agreement. A supporting community organisation must provide any or all of the support and services someone needs after they arrive in Australia, as agreed with the approved proposing organisation.

People being proposed under the Community Proposal Pilot must:

• Be proposed by an approved proposing organisation
• Be outside Australia when the visa application is lodged
• Meet the eligibility criteria for a refugee and humanitarian visa
• Meet Australia’s health and character requirements.

Please note that the Community Proposal Pilot is not a family reunion visa.

You cannot propose an application by yourself. To propose someone through the Community Proposal Pilot, approach an approved proposing organisation. You can contact the approved proposing organisation yourself, or you can ask a supporting community organisation to contact them for you.

To apply for a visa under the Community Proposal Pilot, you must:

• Identify someone you want to propose (they will be the visa applicant)
• Have them complete and signForm 842 Application for an offshore humanitarian visa (586 kB pdf)
• Prepare their information, payments and documents to support the application
• Provide the application and all relevant information, payments and documents to the approved proposing organisation.

The approved proposing organisation will decide which applications they can support.

You do not have to propose someone through the Community Proposal Pilot. You can still propose your family members directly through the normal visa application process if you meet the requirements of the visa.

The people being proposed complete:

• Form 842 Application for an offshore humanitarian visa refugee and humanitarian (Class XB) visa (586 kB pdf).

The approved proposing organisation completes:

• Form 1417 Proposal for refugee and special humanitarian entrants by approved proposing organisation (409 kB pdf).

The approved proposing organisation lodges these forms and documents at the Melbourne office in Victoria – attention Melbourne Offshore Humanitarian Processing Centre.

After the application is lodged, we will:

• Tell the people being proposed and the approved proposing organisation that we have received the application
• Ask the people being processed if we need more detail about information in the visa application
• Contact the people being proposed at key processing stages, to clarify details in the visa application and when a decision is made.

The people being proposed can provide more information about their visa application to us in writing at any time until a decision is made on the application. If they want to correct their information they have provided, they can useForm 1023 Notification of incorrect answer(s) (99 kB pdf).

The decision process could take many months.

If we ask for more information, the people being proposed will have to respond by a set date. After that date, we can make a decision about the application using the information we have.

If another person gives us information that could result in the visa being refused, we will usually give the people being proposed the opportunity to comment on the information.

The people being proposed might also be interviewed. They will need to bring their passport or other identification and any requested documents to the interview.

Under the Deed of Agreement, an Approved Proposing Organisation agrees to provide a range of services and support to people being proposed. The Deed is not an agreement for an Approved Proposing Organisation to provide services on behalf of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is not funding Approved Proposing Organisations to provide these services.

The Deed of Agreement is a legally binding document.

Approved proposing organisations are responsible for ensuring the following costs are paid:

• The visa application charge
• Medical checks for the people being proposed
• Airfares to Australia
• Accommodation
• Initial household costs such as goods, food, and utilities connection.

Approved proposing organisations can ask the supporting community organisation or the people proposing someone to pay for these costs. Approved proposing organisations can also ask for a contribution to cover administrative costs related to the application.

Visa holders must not be asked to pay back any of the costs associated with their proposal. We would consider that to be in breach of the Deed of Agreement and apply sanctions.

The visa application charges are listed in Fees and charges.

For more information about the Community Proposal Pilot or to seek help getting in touch with an approved proposing organisation, send an email to the Community Proposal Pilot mailbox: community.proposal.pilot@border.gov.au.