Community Support Program

Community Support Programme (CSP)

The Community Support Program (CSP) is a program that makes it possible for people and businesses in Australia to support a person in humanitarian need to come to Australia and assist them in their settlement journey.

Australian Supporters under the CSP can be individuals or families, businesses, or community organisations which work with Approved Proposing Organisations (APOs) and enter into arrangements to propose and support offshore applicants for humanitarian visas.

Currently, there are two APO(s) in South Australia, Australian Migrant Resource Centre (AMRC) and Australian Refugee Association (ARA).

To sponsor someone through the CSP, an Australian Supporter must be working with an APO and:

• Must be an Australian permanent resident or citizen living in Australia;
• Should not owe a debt to the Australian Government; and
• Pass an income test.

CSP Applicants Eligibility

To be eligible for the CSP, visa applicants must satisfy the criteria for a subclass 202 visa including:

• living outside both Australia;
• have been subjected to discrimination in their home country;
• main applicant should be aged between 18 and 50;
• meet health and character requirements;
• have adequate English language knowledge and be able to demonstrate that they have either a job offers or suitable employment skills;
• have a sponsor.

The Australian government prioritises applicants that have compelling reasons to be granted a visa because there are only a limited number of spaces. Some of the reasons for prioritisation are:

• If a sponsor lives in a regional area and sponsors someone for a humanitarian visa;
• Applications sponsored by partners and children;
• The degree of seriousness of persecution and/or discrimination the applicant faces in their home country;
• The dangerousness of the applicant’s situation where they are living;
• The less support the applicant is likely to need from the Australian government if they come to Australia; and
• The connection the applicant has with Australia and the Australian community (e.g., family support or having support of community groups in Australia).

Assurance of Support (AOS)

Assurance of Support is required for adult CSP applicants. The AOS an agreement between a person(s) known as the Assurer(s) and Centrelink, that the Assurer(s) will repay the cost of any recoverable benefits paid by Centrelink to the Visa Applicants. For example, if a CSP entrant was to request and receive a ‘recoverable payment’ such as Jobseeker Payment from Centrelink, their Assurer would be required to repay that benefit to Centrelink. Assurance of Support must pass a financial capacity test when applying to an APO that indicates that they are able to support the visa applicant beside you. Testing financial capacity will depend on the following factors:

• the number of children under 18 years of age who are dependent on you;
• the number of adults you are seeking to support;
• if there are any other assurers; and
• the number of children under 18 years of age your joint assurer has.

To be eligible for the CSP visa, applicants must meet specific criteria, including experiencing significant discrimination and human rights violations in their home countries, being outside both their home country and Australia, and demonstrating sufficient English language skills. Additionally, refugees need to have a valid job offer or possess job skills that facilitate employment in Australia.

CSP Cost 

The cost of the CSP visa varies depending on factors such as the number of family members, the applicant’s place of residence, medical conditions, and settlement location. Applicants are required to pay a visa application fee, which consists of two parts: an initial fee at the time of submission to the Department and a subsequent fee before the visa grant. Other associated costs are determined by APO, ensuring transparency and fairness in the visa application process.