Australia

Australia hosts almost 60,000 refugees and 80,000 asylum seekers. Most are from the Middle East or Asia. It’s estimated that 8,000 people are stateless.

UNHCR’s Office in Canberra promotes refugee rights in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

UNHCR supports Australia in developing national refugee legislation, increasing refugee status determination capacity, and introducing protection safeguards in immigration procedures. UNHCR also works with Australia on resettlement and building complementary pathways.

For over a decade, Australia has had offshore transfer arrangements with PNG and Nauru for those who seek asylum by boat. UNCHR advocates in relation to the legal and protection concerns of these arrangements and in seeking solutions for those remaining.