We have received a lot of enquiries this week from people with family in Afghanistan who are anxious to help them get out. Some of our clients have fortunately been evacuated with visa applications still in process. The following are our learnings for people with pending visa applications which hopefully can help others:
- Your family member needs to have a pending visa application, whether it is a Humanitarian, Partner/Spouse, Child or Visitor visa. We expect that people with Partner/Spouse, Child or in the latter stages of the Humanitarian visa process will be prioritised over other visa applicants.
- Register all family members seeking evacuation on https://covid19.dfat.gov.au
- Email minister@dfat.gov.au & afghanistanvisaenquiries@dfat.gov.au to
request evacuation. Emails should include the following
information:
- personal details
- details of visas if held or lodged applications
- copies of any ID documents
- their relationship to Australia /Australian based relatives etc
- where they are located - Kabul or other location in Afghanistan
- contact number and / or email for Afghanistan AND Australia.
- Contact the Australian Government 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 in Australia or +61 2 6261 3305 outside Australia to follow up and request evacuation
- Wait for contact from DFAT for details about when to go to the airport and which gates to us
Please note that existing visa holders, permanent residents and citizens should follow the steps from 2 to 5.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.