All There Is to Know About Permanent Protection Visas

If you are outside your home country and need to seek protection from the government, you can do this by applying for a Permanent Protection Visa. However, you must have arrived in the country legally, usually by plane. Also, you can only be eligible to apply for the visa if you fear persecution in your home country, and thus cannot return there. But that's not all. There's more to this visa that you should know before you apply for the protection. Find out more below.

The Grounds for Protection

First, your fear of persecution in your home country must be well-founded. That is, there should be a real chance that if you return to your home country, you will be persecuted or face serious harm. And this could be because of your race, nationality, religion, political opinion or membership/association with a given social group (which may include your family).

Keep in mind that the harm you fear should involve aspects such as threats to your liberty or life, torture and deprivation of your ability to survive (can be through severe economic hardship, denial of essential services and restrictions to earning income). What's more, the real chance that you will be persecuted on your return to your home country relates to any area of the country. That is, if there's any place in your home country that you can legally access without fearing persecution, then you may not be considered for protection.

Worth noting also is that besides these grounds for protection, you must meet the standard visa requirements, including character, identity, security and health checks.

What the Visa Can Do for You

Multiple benefits come with having a Permanent Protection Visa besides protection from persecution. With the visa, you can live, study and even work permanently in the country. You can also enrol in the national health scheme and sponsor eligible members of your family for permanent residence. For the latter, you can do this by including them in your visa application. Remember that the family members may consist of your partner, either de facto or married, your dependent children (or your partner's), and any other dependent relatives that are eligible for protection.

The Application

You can apply for the visa either by post or online. You need to complete the visa application form and submit it within a certain period of your current visa expiring (you can get this information on the relevant government website). Remember to answer all the questions correctly in your application and be detailed in explaining why you need protection. You will also be required to provide some crucial documents, including personal identifiers (fingerprints, photographs, etc.), passports and other identifications such as ID cards, birth and marriage certificates or travel documents. Any documents that can support your claims for fear of persecution will also come in handy. This may include photos, messages or publications for threats of your persecution or your life.

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