Recent arrivals, asylum seekers and family support services

Asylum seekers are among the most disadvantaged people in any community. Many receive little or no government income support while their situation is being assessed. People who hold a refugee, humanitarian or recently granted protection visa are usually entitled to some financial assistance and health services from government.

Even when government income support is limited, regional health authorities and a range of community organizations fund or provide family support programs and health services that anyone can access, including asylum seekers, regardless of their visa or residency status.

Access to health cover and services#

As an asylum seeker, whether you are entitled to publicly funded health cover often depends on your visa and its conditions, and these can change while your application for permanent residency is being processed. Without that cover, it can be difficult to access services that would normally rely on it.

You may find it hard to meet out-of-pocket expenses for visits to a local doctor or for filling a prescription at a pharmacy.

People arriving with a refugee or humanitarian visa, or who have recently been granted a protection visa, can often receive support from government, including referrals to local employment and community services. Asylum seekers and refugees are usually eligible for most health and community services funded by regional health authorities, such as community health services, because eligibility for most family support services is not determined by visa or residency status.

Refugee health programs#

In some areas there are special access arrangements that may include:

• nurses, allied health professionals and interpreters
• bicultural workers in community health centers, particularly in areas with high numbers of refugees
• a dedicated refugee health program

A refugee health nurse can carry out an initial health screening and help you access a local doctor and specialist healthcare if you need it. They can also provide nursing care and refer you to other support services such as housing and employment services.

Counseling for torture and trauma#

Specialist services exist in many places to provide counseling for people who have survived torture and trauma. These services focus on mental health, health promotion, and strengthening families and communities, and they are usually free and confidential.

To be eligible, a person generally needs to have a history of torture or other traumatic events before arriving, or be an immediate family member of such a person, and to be experiencing psychological or psychosocial difficulties believed to be associated with that experience.

People can be referred from a range of sources, including doctors, schools, or by migrants or asylum seekers themselves. Separate programs may support unaccompanied refugee children and young people until a parent arrives to care for them or until they reach adulthood.

Legal help#

Community legal services can offer free information and advice, often in a range of languages, about the law and how they can help with an immigration problem. Legal aid services can also refer you to other organizations if they cannot help directly, and can usually provide an interpreter if you need one.

Some community legal centers specialize in human rights and immigration law and provide legal assistance to asylum seekers and refugees who are not eligible for legal aid and cannot afford a private lawyer.

Transport, disability and housing support#

If you are an asylum seeker and hold no other valid concession entitlement, you may be able to apply for a public transport concession card.

If you have a permanent or long-term disability, you may be eligible to apply to an aids and equipment program regardless of your visa status. Such programs can help cover the cost of aids, equipment, and vehicle and home modifications to help you stay independent at home, take part in your community, and support families and carers in their role.

Some asylum seekers and refugees may be eligible for subsidized early childhood education, such as free kindergarten hours each week.

Asylum seekers who are homeless or at risk of homelessness might be eligible for housing establishment funds and other forms of homelessness assistance, usually accessed through local homelessness, housing and support services.

Community organizations#

Many community organizations provide legal, health, financial and other help to asylum seekers and refugees. These can include dedicated services that provide legal representation, mental health support, employment assistance, material aid such as food and household goods, and health clinics for people seeking asylum.

Education, employment and training#

A number of programs help asylum seekers and refugees settle in, improve their English language skills, develop job-ready skills, and find work. English language programs can offer free classes for people with little or no English while they learn about local culture and customs and meet other new arrivals who may share similar experiences.

Where these programs run, eligibility usually depends on factors such as your level of English, your age, and your visa type. For people with children under school age who need childcare while they attend classes, the provider may be able to arrange free childcare. Families with school-aged children may be eligible for childcare fee assistance.

Specialist services also support young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds through training, knowledge sharing and advocacy, and employment services can provide tailored, local help to get jobseekers job-ready and connect them with employers.

Multicultural health and support services work with migrant and refugee communities to help prevent blood-borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections, and to improve access to information, support and testing for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Key points#

• Eligibility for most family support and community health services is not determined by visa or residency status.
• Refugee health nurses can provide initial screening and connect you with doctors, specialists and other support.
• Free and confidential torture and trauma counseling is available to survivors and their immediate family.
• Community legal services can offer free, multilingual advice on immigration and other legal problems.
• Concession cards, disability equipment programs, subsidized early education and homelessness assistance may also be available.

Where to get help#