The committee recommends that the Australian Government provide long‐ term certainty to Ukrainians already in Australia on temporary visas who wish to stay in Australia or are unable to safely return to Ukraine due to the ongoing war.

Government Response to Recommendation 22

The Government agrees to this recommendation.

The Minister for Home Affairs is making an offer of permanent stay in Australia to Ukrainian nationals who hold a Temporary Humanitarian Stay (subclass 786) visa, on a case-by-case basis.

A Resolution of Status (RoS) visa may be granted to an individual who accepts the offer of a permanent stay. The RoS visa is a permanent visa. Ukrainian nationals who are granted a RoS will be able to stay in Australia permanently with the same rights as a permanent resident. This includes access to eligible social security payments; the National Disability Insurance Scheme and higher education assistance.

RoS visa holders are also eligible to become Australian citizens once they meet residency and other requirements. They can also sponsor family to come to Australia under the family visa stream of the Migration Program. The Government is considering further options to support Ukrainian nationals on temporary visas who did not accept the Government’s offer of temporary humanitarian stay before 31 July 2022.