Humanitarian visa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Humanitarian visas are visas granted by some countries in order to fulfill their international obligation to protect refugees from persecution. The criteria in the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees are often used in assessing whether or not there is a legitimate claim for protection. It defines a refugee as a person who:
- is outside their country of origin or legal residence
- is unable, or unwilling to return to their country of legal residence because of a legitimate fear of persecution regarding their race, religion, nationality, group membership, or a political belief, as defined by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- has not been convicted of a serious crime by a fair tribunal.
Persons primarily seeking better economic opportunities may reasonably quote war, famine, or environmental disasters as their main motive for leaving their countries of legal residence, for which reason humanitarian visas may be difficult to obtain.
In Australia, humanitarian visas are listed as “Subclass 200” and have several distinct forms:[1]
- 201: In-country Special Humanitarian Program Visa
- 202: Global Special Humanitarian Program Visa (“SHP”)
- 203: Emergency Rescue Visa
- 204: Woman at Risk Visa
European Union
Belgium
In 2013, Belgium established a structural resettlement programme, initially agreeing to resettle 100 refugees. However, due to the Syrian refugee crisis, the Belgian Government announced in November 2014 that it would increase its 2015 resettlement quota to 300, of which 225 Syrians (from Lebanon) and 75 Congolese refugees (from Burundi). The final decision regarding Belgium's quota size and allocation of refugees belongs to the country's State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration.[2]
Belgium does not have any other such humanitarian admission programmes, and there is no explicit reference to a humanitarian visa in its legislation. However, on an ad hoc and discretionary basis, the State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration and the Federal Public Service Home Affairs grant visas on the basis of “humanitarian grounds," which are either short term (C-type) or long term (D-type) visas.[2]
France
Between 2013 and 2016, France granted more than three thousand humanitarian visas to Syrian refugees to enter the country.[3]
Switzerland
Switzerland is stricter in granting humanitarian visas, According to Swiss national law, Switzerland has the possibility to issue a humanitarian visa to individuals whose lives are imminently at risk, but the practice is very restrictive. Apart from a life-threatening situation, the State Secretariat for Migration generally requires that the individual has a link to Switzerland. In addition, the request for such a visa normally needs to be made in person at a Swiss representation.[4]
India
Following the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan by the Taliban in August 2021, the government of India introduced an "e-Emergency X-Misc Visa", a type of humanitarian electronic visa, for nationals of Afghanistan.[5]
Russia
Russia may issue humanitarian visas to stateless persons or citizens from countries such as the United States who may be considered potentially hostile, and traveling for a variety of reasons including cultural or political exchanges, sports events, scientific or technical conferences and providing temporary specialist services such as humanitarian relief.[6]